By Shaun Scott, Puyallup Tribal News
A group of hardworking volunteers donned gloves and grasped paint rollers earlier this month to create a new mural on the Ke-Lah-Bid bridge located near the Puyallup Tribal Health Authority.
Drivers cruising down East 32nd Street in Tacoma couldn’t miss it even if they tried.
The project was funded by grant dollars from the Washington State Department of Commerce in collaboration with the Wrap Around Program, Chief Leschi Schools and the Youth Support Collective.
The colorful mural features base layers with blue water at the bottom and gray skies near the top.
“We wanted to focus on bringing people’s attention to areas that, at one time, were wild and had natural resources,” said Chief Leschi Schools Ceramics and Visual Arts Instructor Ashlee Branham. “That is what the design is going for — is to remind people this probably used to be a dry creek bed that the bridge crosses over. The design is to bring attention back to those water species, both plants and animals that would have been connected through this area.”
Texture was added to mimic clouds, wind and water flow, and volunteers used spray paint as they crafted stencil designs, featuring plant and animal life. When everything was said and done, Branham surveyed the scene and smiled as volunteers packed up their tools and utensils.
“I think it is really great to see how people who have been volunteering created their own creative interpretation. I wanted that flexibility to begin with,” Branham said. “We had to make a few adjustments just based on the availability of some of the texture rollers. We had a few small changes, but overall it pretty much was what I envisioned.”
Wrap Around Program Director Ashley Howard said she was happy to witness everyone working together on the project.
“I think it’s really representative of the Tribe’s direction toward collaboration. As a Tribal Member, I think the visibility the Tribe has on the reservation is really increasing. When you come off the freeway here, you can really see a presence, which is starkly different from when I was a kid,” Howard said. “Today is another opportunity to have visibility. The Tribe is here, the Tribe is present, and to have this coordinated event with all of these departments and the youth makes it even better.”
Work on the three-foot concrete wall on both sides of the road took four days. Councilwoman Anna Bean visited the mural the afternoon of June 5, interacting with artists and other volunteers on site. Seeing Chief Leschi students in attendance was music to Bean’s ears.
“When you are inclusive of your youth it increases their sense of responsibility. Whether that’s participation and care, that is what this project symbolizes,” Bean said.
