FORDYCE, Ark. — The city of Fordyce, albeit small, prides itself on football and a rich history.
Dozens pass an empty lot on the corner of 4th and Main Street each and every day.
"It used to have a convenience store on it that burned down years ago," said Candace McCollum, President of For Fordyce.
For years, so many wondered in the city asked what can leaders do with that particular spot in the heart of downtown Fordyce?
"Everybody looked at this parking lot as like an eyesore," McCollum said
The group-- For Fordyce-- is one that's made up of volunteers who've worked hard to improve the area.
"I want this to be more of a destination, instead of an ugly, empty parking lot," McCollum said.
In places like this, money isn't always the easiest to come by.
But after receiving some funding, McCollum's dream eventually became traveling artist Jason White's mission.
"The ultimate goal is to help do my part to revive the small towns," White said.
A small town guy himself, White's interest in artistry started when he was just 5 years old.
"I didn't really know what to do with it. I had very supportive parents [and] had a very supportive art teacher through school, but still just had this internal fear that I wasn't good enough," White said.
After graduating from high school in Bald Knob, he attended the Art Institute of Dallas.
After some time, White returned to Arkansas and moved to Searcy.
Eventually, he started painting windows on the First Security Bank building in the town.
"I've been doing this full time for 7 years now. I think I have somewhere around 6 or 7 public murals in Searcy," White said.
With that type of experience, White considers himself a traveling artist.
His work can been be seen on structures in Texas, Tennessee, Florida and now Fordyce.
For the town, it's a big mural for a small community, but White hopes it sends a positive message for the hundreds that will see it every day.
"A lot of times, my murals tend to be one of two things: either interactive or informational. This one would fall under the informational with an interactive feature," White said.
The mural is comprised of the Cotton Belt Train, which touches on the city's history. Even the football that's worked into the art piece sums up a town that prides itself on the sport.
For McCollum, who is a native of Fordyce, this is something she is happy people far and wide will get the opportunity to see.
"Jason has really captured, the heart of Fordyce and what it really means to be a RedBug and to be from here," McCollum said.
White is working on another mural in town and once that's finished, he'll be traveling to Dumas, Batesville and McGhee to begin projects in those rural towns.