As drivers head in and out of town on SR 224, they may not realize that, as they pass the White Barn that marks the outer edge of Park City limits, they’re passing over a work of art: a mural in the McPolin Barn tunnel.
Outside the tunnel, a sign asks passersby to “pardon our dust while we are creating community.”
Inside the tunnel, Eagle Mountain-based artist Bill Louis sprays paint on the walls, while his kids—out of school for the summer—tape up plastic sheets to protect what Louis has already completed and to learn something new.
“That's true—kind of teaching them, too, the process of what I do as a mural artist, and just the stages and all the work that goes into it as well, so they can kind of see how it goes in the process,” Louis said.
Louis responded to a call for artists by the Park City Public Art Advisory Board last fall. The board selected his proposal for the pedestrian/cyclist tunnel, known as the McPolin/224 Connector. The budget for the project is $10,000.
Inspired by the landscape, Louis portrays grass fields and brush with yellows and greens, while the tunnel ceiling is washed with sky blues. A deeper blue creek twists through the scenery; and the vibrant colors contrast with graphic black and white lines, which Louis says represent rolling hills. Once he finishes mirroring the landscape onto the other side of the tunnel, Louis will superimpose on top the outline of the McPolin Barn and the silhouettes of cows, hikers and bikers.
Louis has created other public art projects, mostly in the Salt Lake Valley. He says he likes that art in public spaces can start conversations and bring people together.
“It creates and beautifies a space, especially if there's something that's just kind of mundane or dull—why not splash a little color?" Louis said. "A lot of people that have come in recently, they love the color because it makes them smile. I feel like color brings a lot of good energy, and so the way to represent that good energy is through my artwork."
The McPolin/224 Connector tunnel is one of the last tunnels in Park City to be illustrated as a public art project. Public Art Advisory Board administrator Minda Stockdale says it encourages alternative forms of transportation and enhances the experience moving about town.
“The tunnels are used a lot by pedestrians and bicyclists and anybody who's using the trails, so it's a really neat way to create connectivity in Park City,” Stockdale said.
After two weeks of working morning to night, Louis anticipates finishing the mural on June 21. He recommends viewing it at night, when the tunnel lights come on.
