What started as an attempt by a painter and local school children to beautify the walls of a sewage pumping station in Marietta has become a beautiful partnership among communities in Ohio's Appalachia. The Ohio Arts Council, arts organizations, artists, local merchants and schools have found a unique way to promote low-impact tourism in southern and southeastern Ohio. The Mural Corridor consists of seven historical murals in towns in Athens, Perry and Washington counties. Planning is underway for an eighth mural in Vinton County. Each mural includes an image of a road sign pointing in the direction of one or more murals in the corridor. "We expect the Mural Corridor to create economic development by leading people through towns and villages to see the murals, visit local shops, eat at local restaurants, purchase local crafts and stay in rural bed and breakfasts," said Carol Kuhre, executive director of Rural Action, which has administered the project since it began in 1993. For the past two years the Ohio Appalachian Arts Initiative, a program of the Ohio Arts Council, has provided major funding for the effort in partnership with Rural Action. "The Ohio Appalachian Arts Initiative promotes the celebration and preservation of Appalachian arts and culture in Ohio," said Donna Sue Groves, OAAI coordinator. "Murals are a part of that effort. They illustrate our story and are a reminder of who we are, where we came from and the desire to share our rich heritage." The Ohio Appalachian Arts Initiative was created with the help of the Ohio Arts Council to celebrate and preserve Appalachian arts and culture in the state. It serves Appalachian artists, arts organizations and communities in a 19-county region of southern and eastern Ohio. The service area also includes urban Appalachian communities in Dayton and Cincinnati. Since its inception in 1994, the OAAI has reached more than 100,000 Appalachians. Other OAAI projects include a traveling exhibition of Appalachian culture, a resource directory of Appalachian artists in Ohio, oral history projects and artist residencies in schools. For information about the OAAI contact Michael Maloney or Donna Sue Groves at 513/875-2096.