Bushmaster Park Mural Unveiling and Bubble Bash Recieves

Blessing from Flagstaff Mayor

 Flagstaff city dignitaries Mayor Coral Evans, Community Development Coordinator Mark Dilucido,

and Parks and Rec. Director Steve Zimmerman share a smile at the bash.

Parks and Recreation Director Steve Zimmerman unveiled the artwork to a grand applause.

Legendary Musician Tony Norris brought some friends and an old tyme sound to the event.

Cassidy Young lit the crowd up with her reflections of painting the mural.

Joey Bono of Wagstaff wrote a beautiful article in the Noise, helping to spread the news and fill the chairs.

Five year old Flagstaff resident Halen Tromm was the model for the "Bubble Girl" in the mural.

Thank you to the Bushmaster community for bringing this amazing vision to life.

The Process of Creating the Community Reflections Mural

The Bushmaster Park community mural is located on the public restroom at the eastern end of Bushmaster Park, 3150 N. Alta Vista Dr. The City of Flagstaff’s Beautification and Public Art Commission BPAC sponsored the project with BBB revenue.

The Mural Mice were chosen from a handful of artists responding to a request for proposals (RFP) from the city. The RFP called for a team of artists to conduct the community in a paint-by-number mural effort. The Mice specialize in community murals, and a location like Bushmaster Park in the middle of summer is ideal for such a project.

Over 100 members of the community participated in the painting of the new mural,

and hundreds contributed their thoughts and ideas to the project.

The Mice began the Bushmaster Park mural journey with a Magical Free Lemonade Stand. It was a creative way to meet the community and gather feedback and ideas for the new mural.

During the feedback process, lots of people suggested things that they like to do at the park such as skateboarding and dog walking, but there were many requests to depict ideas that were more symbolic. People wanted to see something that reflected the diversity of the neighborhood, something that celebrated family and friends, people coming together, and some of the issues that the neighborhood faces with drug abuse and homelessness.

During two community meetings, people offered ideas and feedback via a brainstorm session and design review. They became the steering committee for the project.

The Mice spent two weeks in the studio pouring through feedback and drawing dozens of sketches. They asked the community to tell them which ones they liked best and the Mural Mice delivered their recommendations to BPAC.

In the end, it was the image of a young girl blowing bubbles over a rose bush that made the cut. Each bubble contains a scene reflecting the themes of aspirations, gratitude, and wisdom.

The bubbles float through a patch of roses with the thorns threatening ominously. Some say the best things in life are made sweeter because they are fleeting.