Mural to be painted on Art's Furniture soon

The skyline of Malta will look a little different in a few months thanks to a generous grant and some well-known, local artists.

Citizens and artists in Malta have come together to provide revitalization to the Phillips County community by working on a building mural. The location of the mural will be on the North facing side of Art's Furniture and Carpet and able to be viewed by residents and visitors entering Malta from many directions.

"I am so excited," said Julie Snellman who owns Art's with her husband, Jason. "It is going to be really neat for the town and though there are a lot of good locations, people will be able to see it coming into town from the north, east and west. You won't be able to see it coming from the south, but three out of four ain't bad."

The composition is a scene encompassing various aspects of community life in eastern Montana including agriculture (farming and ranching), outdoor recreation, community history with Burlington Northern Railroad, and the area's vast dinosaur fossil history. Composing artists are Todd Mandeville, Jody Lee and Heather Jenkins.

"We had a list of things we wanted to be on the mural without it looking like a collage," Jenkins said of the initial sketch she, Mandeville and Lee comprised. "And the drawing is literally a rough sketch of what is going to be painted. Once we get all the elements up there, we might need to switch things because of the perspective on the building ...it is enormous and the project isn't a peel and stick kind of project."

The idea of a wall mural welcoming people to the Phillips County communities first came to light when the community was hosting some community assessment meetings and breakout sessions on what our community needs and how we can make some of those goals happen. Phillips County communities are working together on branding projects and to provide economic growth and a better future for families.

Funding is being provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) to Opportunity Link of Havre in partnership with Art Spot (a local nonprofit arts organization in Malta), and the Hill County Commissioners. Partners on the project in the community are Malta Chamber of Commerce and PhillCo Economic Development. Three other communities have also received funding for art installations under this grant.

The main work on the wall mural project is targeted for June, starting with wall preparation and work can only begin when the bricks have heated to the correct temperature so the paint cures correctly.

If you would like to be a team member, help is needed. From painting to hauling water and from donating funds to providing support for the artists while they work, a person doesn't necessarily need to be an artist to contribute to the project. For more information on how to help with the project, people are encouraged to contact Malta Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Ann Sautter at 654-1776 or [email protected].