Since the mid-1980s, Steubenville’s story has been told through two dozen murals on the sides of buildings downtown and in Hollywood City Center.

Those murals paint a rich history of Steubenville and the surrounding area — from a depiction of a pioneer arriving at the Ohio River; to Edwin Stanton, President Abraham Lincoln’s secretary of war,; to Jerome and John “Ellis” Edwards of the Tuskegee Airmen; to Dorothy Sloop of “Hang on Sloopy” fame; and Hollywood legend Dean Martin.

The success of the murals project made Steubenville the perfect location for a new work, one that its artist hopes will bring about change.

Titled “Stop the Gun Violence,” Kyle Holbrook’s creation shares a positive message and looks at some of the good things happening while bringing awareness to gun violence.

Located just inside the entryway to the Northend Market at 830 N. Sixth St., the painting features Harding Stadium, the railroad bridge, the Veterans Memorial Bridge, the Steubenville Big Red stallion mascot, a Black Statue of Liberty, a “Stop the Gun Violence” logo and hands flashing the peace symbol.

Just one week after his work in Steubenville was dedicated, Holbrook unveiled another mural in the region — a memorial to the 11 victims of the Oct. 27, 2018, shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood of Pittsburgh.

“A mural by itself will not stop gun violence, but it can bring increased awareness and attention to this nationwide epidemic,” Holbrook said.

Indeed.