HELENA — On Wednesday, March 6, at a City Admin Meeting, city leadership heard recommendations for the Lyndale Tunnel mural project.
In November, the Community Facilities Department published a call for artists to commission a painted mural on the walls and entrances to the tunnel under Lyndale Avenue between Centennial Park and the Great Northern.
“It beautifies the city,” said Bridget Johnston, the City of Helena Facility Manager. “It makes it more lively. People enjoy passing through the tunnel and looking at the artwork. It also often means that it doesn’t get graffitied as often. We have noticed there’s a lot of graffiti on unpainted surfaces but places that have been beautified with artwork are less likely to be vandalized."
The city received 19 qualified submissions for the mural. The Helena Public Art Committee then reviewed and anonymously scored every submission.
The committee recommended “Queen of the Rockies” by artist Wyatt Hersey.
“The next step in the process is for the city commission to grant a contract to an artist, whether they choose to go with the recommendation of the public arts committee or if they’d like to see something else, that will be up to them,” said Johnston.
The City Commission is scheduled to discuss the proposed recommendations on Monday, Mar. 11.
If the contract is awarded, the project will begin this spring and aims to be completed in mid-June.
