By Erika Chorostil

Bison mural will reflect town's strength

Local business raising funds to paint giant mural in downtown Drayton Valley

Feb 23, 2021 | 1:28 PM

A local business owner in Drayton Valley is hoping to bring some colour into the downtown by painting a large mural on the backside of their shop on 51 Street.

The store owner of Local Collective, Richelle Houston, thought of the idea a few months ago to paint a mural on the large, blank wall behind the building where her store is located as a way to catch people’s eye.

She then approached Entwistle artist Brie Adkins with the idea, who jumped on board and chose a design of two bison for the mural.

Houston explains the bison are to reflect Drayton Valley’s strength.

“Whenever a storm comes rolling in, she thought it was great for Drayton Valley for, like, persisting and always pulling together whenever a storm rolls in. The Bison actually face it head-on and run through it, making the storm actually way less powerful.”

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Houston and Adkins estimate the mural will take about three weeks and cost roughly $13,000 to create, and they have launched a GoFundMe campaign in the hopes of raising $15,000 to paint the 50×20-foot mural by the end of July.

The extra funds will go towards maintenance costs over time. As of February 23, the campaign has raised $1,800 of its goal.

In addition to the GoFundMe, Houston and Adkins are also applying for grants and taking local business sponsorships, including a top donation incentive to name the mural.

Business packages include four levels – Platinum, which includes the mural naming rights, Gold, Silver, and Bronze. Each donation allows businesses to get their name put onto a sponsorship plaque with their company logo.

They have had some businesses donate items to the project that will help with costs, such as lifts provided by All Choice Rentals, and safety equipment provided by Alert Safety.

For those who cannot afford a large donation, Houston and Adkins have another idea in mind.

“When the mural is all done, there is kind of like a ‘snowdrift’ along the bottom, so we’re going to start a little $10 thumbprint,” Houston explains. “So right before it’s sealed, everyone can sign up and for 10 bucks you can actually press your thumbprint into the snowdrift and help add your own personality to the mural.”

Those wishing to donate to the project through GoFundMe or otherwise can message Houston on the Local Collective Facebook page or Instagram, or email localcollectivedv@gmail.com.

The link to the GoFundMe page can be found here.