Provo Bicycle Collective almost finished with new mural
Volunteer Benjamin Lee removes stucco from a wall outside the new Bicycle Collective building in Provo. After the stucco is removed, a mural will be painted on the side of the building. SAMMY JO HESTER, Daily Herald
An illustration posted to the Provo Bicycle Collective's website depicts George Patterson's winning mural design as it will appear on the side of the collective's building.
Volunteers remove stucco from a wall outside the new Bicycle Collective building in Provo. After the stucco is removed, a mural will be painted on the side of the building. SAMMY JO HESTER, Daily Herald
Volunteer Michaelann Bradley removes stucco from a wall outside the new Bicycle Collective building in Provo. After the stucco is removed, a mural will be painted on the side of the building. SAMMY JO HESTER, Daily Herald
Volunteers remove stucco from a wall outside the new Bicycle Collective building in Provo. After the stucco is removed, a mural will be painted on the side of the building. SAMMY JO HESTER, Daily Herald
Volunteers Benjamin Lee and Michaelann Bradley remove stucco from a wall outside the new Bicycle Collective building in Provo. After the stucco is removed, a mural will be painted on the side of the building. SAMMY JO HESTER, Daily Herald
Volunteer Benjamin Lee removes stucco from a wall outside the new Bicycle Collective building in Provo. After the stucco is removed, a mural will be painted on the side of the building. SAMMY JO HESTER, Daily Herald
After several days of scraping, priming and painting, the Provo Bicycle Collective’s east-facing wall has a whole lot of color and a miniature version of the Provo skyline on it that’s nearly complete.
Provo Bicycle Collective Director Austin Taylor said the new mural, which features the mountains, buildings and bikes of Provo, is perfect for the collective and the city.
”It’s something generic enough that it can represent all of Provo and not just bicycles, but it does show bicycles, which is good for us and our mission.”
Volunteers started scraping off old paint on Saturday and worked on painting the mural on the building at 397 East 200 North on Monday and Tuesday nights. Taylor said the number of volunteers has made the process quick and he expects that the mural should be completely finished after working on it a bit more Thursday evening.
Taylor said the design was selected not only because it got the most Facebook reactions, but because it was also his and the landlord’s favorites.
Provo resident George Patterson, who designed the Provo- and bike-themed mural. He said he’s glad to see something unique going on the collective’s wall, which is near his home.
”I think it’s fun to see original artwork when you’re out and about and it will attract more attention to the Bicycle Collective,” Patterson said.
Patterson is a graphic designer who attended both Utah Valley University and Brigham Young University. He said he enjoys the opportunities his job provides him.
”I’ve always enjoyed doing creative things,” he said. “I’ve had other jobs, but I like being able to do something different everyday.”
Patterson said he follows the Bicycle Collective on social media, which is where he saw the call for mural submissions. From there, he did a few preliminary sketches before spending eight to 10 hours working on the design on his computer.
He said his design was just something that came to him after hearing the requirements for the submission.
”I just went based off of what they were looking for,” he said. “It’s something with minimal colors and had a Provo and bike theme.”
Allan Ludwig was one of the many volunteers that showed up to help scrape and prime the wall for the mural on Saturday.
Ludwig said he used to open the shop on Saturday mornings but after moving to Murray he’s missed the chance to volunteer with the Provo Bicycle Collective.
”I missed volunteering and the nice thing about volunteering here is that there are so many tools I don’t have,” he said.
BYU pre-med student Benjamin Lee said he chose to spend his time volunteering with the Bicycle Collective because of his love of bikes and helping people.
”I’ve been coming (to the Provo Bicycle Collective) a lot recently and this is my community service for applications,” he said. “I could volunteer at a hospital giving out blankets, but I’d rather be here.”
Lee said he’s has already seen the collective grow because of the move to a new location.
”I love the idea of it (the mural) and I think it’s crucial for us to get it up,” he said. “I think more people will come in with questions about it (the collective).”
