There’s a vibrant, modern look in Powell as a faded, decades-old mural has been replaced by a big, bold, design that was created by a local artist.
For the past three decades, when people drive through the city of Powell on Coulter Avenue, after the second stoplight they were greeted by a picture of the man who the town is named for on the side of three-story bean elevator. But sun, wind, and rain took its toll and faded the image of Powell’s namesake, Major John Wesley Powell, early day explorer, conservationist, and head of the Reclamation/Geodetic Service at the time of consideration of the Shoshone Project.
The new mural took a little over a year with the public’s input and a contest to determine the actual design that would grace the bean elevator. The mural is an “Ombre” design that is currently popular in clothing like sports jerseys.
Reaching more than 50-feet high, the new mural features a striking image of Heart Mountain that transitions from a brilliant Wyoming sunset to a night sky filled with stars.
The multi-day project took almost 1,700 screws and a couple of days to install, according to the Powell Tribune.
The ponderous project united a number of people to bring the mural to a reality, starting with the company that owns the building with the space to put a mural. Treasure Valley Seed, who has hosted the mural since it was installed over 30 years ago, offered to pay for lighting installation so people can see if night or day.
Other entities that also pitched in the funding to get the magnificent mural designed and installed were the Park County Travel Council that provided a $32,200 grant, the City of Powell gave $15,000 and the Moyer Foundation contributed $10,000.
Howe submitted the winning design through a contest. In describing his design, Howe says, “Powell is not defined by just one thing or event. There is so much life, in all aspects of the word, that happens here in Powell. I wanted to somehow visually represent that with the variety of vibrant colors. The future is bright and exciting for Powell!”
Howe hopes that when people see his design on the mural that “they will feel a burst of pride, be reminded of how blessed we are to call this place home and emboldened to each do, or continue to do, our part in keeping Powell a vibrant community for generations to come.”
Turnbow Sign, formally of Cody and now in Washington, Utah, took the design and turned it into a massive reality. And they’ve got experience in large sign displays as they installed the original mural back in 1997.
Live Wire Electric and LM Construction were responsible for the electrification and lighting installation.
But the mural isn’t the only piece of art that will be on display in Powell. Work is scheduled to begin on a new downtown mural behind the Plaza Diane Community Center for the Arts in the next few weeks.
