The pedestrian bridge linking Nederland’s 1st Street to the Caribou Village Shopping Center has been lined with painted panels depicting scenes from around the town for over two decades. It’s the work of local artists that will stay that way.

The panels were painted by Kevin Malanaphy, affectionately known by locals as “Tye-dye Kevin,” who installed the panels without explicit permission from the town. Despite their pirate installment, the panels have become a beloved part of Nederland’s character in the decades since their installation.

Malanaphy passed away in 2021, triggering some debate about how and even if his artwork could be preserved. At the prompting of some concerned locals, Danielle Marie Crouse, who sits on the board of the Downtown Development Authority (DDA) and who is the the Vice Chair for the Nederland Public Art Committee (NPAC), reached out to Mike Foster to begin discussing the preservation of the bridge panels.

Sitting in the Kaleidoscope Art Gallery in the Caribu Village Shopping Center with local artist Crouse and fine arts restorer Foster, the conversation often wanders as the two artists discuss possible future projects and details of current projects. It is an unconscious demonstration of their complete dedication to their project.

In art restoration, the value of the restored artwork is irrelevant, it’s the size of the piece that matters more. The panels, which are about three feet by eight inches, would generally be priced over $10,000 for restoration, which is well beyond the budget for the NPAC. Still Foster was determined to see the project through, even if that meant adjusting prices. “I basically did it because I want to make sure that they were done by someone who knew him,” Foster said.

The preservation of the bridge inspired Foster and Crouse to consider founding a branch of the Nederland Arts committee called The Art Preservation Program that will be specifically dedicated to the preservation of the town’s art. “Kevin’s artwork is a great example and a wonderful first project. Something that has sentiment, something that is historical, something that needs preservation, has something in line to preserve it so it doesn’t get forgotten,” Crouse said.

“This town was built by artists. It’s not just all miners and snowshoes, it’s musicians and artists of all kinds,” Foster said. To both Crouse and Foster, preserving the town’s art is preserving its history.

Foster is working on the pieces for the next several weeks and even found a way to ensure that everyone who loved Malanaphy can be part of the process of preserving his memory. For the past few weeks, Foster brought the panels to his stand at the farmers market and allowed passersby to paint a few strokes on the panels. The panels are coated in a chemical sealant that both preserves the original art and seals it to the plywood it was painted on. It also allows Foster to wipe away any mistakes made by a would-be-artist without damaging the original work.

Foster will also set up bridge panels in front of the Kaleidoscope Art Gallery on the next Fourth Friday celebration, August 26, for residents to continue the collaborative preservation of a local’s artistic legacy.

To find out more about Nederland Public Art, check out their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/ Nederland- Public- Art- 108318241349377/?ref=page_ internal. To find out more about the Nederland Downtown Development Authority, check out their website at https://www.nederlanddowntown.org/.