A bicyclist rides through the North Tunnel at Merlin Olsen park after it was painted by Matt Halm a professional muralist from Allentown, PA .
LOGAN – If it’s been a while since you sat in the shade, soaked your feet in the water or had lunch at Merlin Olsen Park it may be time to walk the sidewalks and see the artwork on the North Tunnel and Ice Rink building. Even more art was recently added at the Logan soccer complex near the Blackhawk apartment complex. There is fresh paint there and it’s worth a visit.
The murals have given the parks a new reason to get out and breath some fresh air.
The Logan City Park Mural Program is off to a good start. The artists have finished for the year and have left their mark on a couple of the city’s parks, giving them a new splash of color.
Aaron Smith, who oversaw the project for the city, said he was excited for the results of the program during its inaugural year.
“We wrapped up all of the locations in June,” he said. “The art is eye-catching; we have had a lot of positive feedback.”
The three commissioned murals painted in local parks gave drab space works of art.
The Art in the Parks Mural Program was intended to be an initial step in the implementation of the Logan Public Arts Master Plan that was adopted in 2020. Merlin Olsen Park (at 300 E. Center Street) and the Soccer Park Complex (at 250 Legrand Street) were selected for their unique locations, community importance, and available surfaces for painting murals.
Blackhawk Soccer Park Central Concessions Building was painted by Suzy Gonzalez, a San Angelo, Texas-based artist who earned an MFA from the Rhode Island School of Design and a BFA from Texas State University.
The concessions building features boy and girl figures in different stances kicking a soccer ball.
Matt Monsoon and Brooklyn Ottens gave the Ice Rink Building at Merlin Olsen Park a colorful floral look. The two Salt Lake City artists have art studios at the historic Guthrie Building in Salt Lake City.
Matt Halm, a professional muralist from Allentown, Pennsylvania who specializes in large-scale community murals, painted the North Tunnel at Merlin Olsen Park. With the large concrete canvas, he sought out some of the city’s most recognizable and familiar structures and incorporated them into his artwork.
The city held a social recognizing the completion of each mural and Smith said they had good attendance.
The murals give people going to the park another reason to explore the different areas while walking or biking through the park.
Smith said he hopes to see more local artists apply for next year’s murals.