From left, Staci Berg, education coordinator at the Bonifas Art Center, James Finlan, professional muralist, Leia Economopoulos, student, and Trinity Pepin, student, pose in front of the new Bonifas and DNR Pocket Park Mural Wednesday afternoon. Finlan, with great assistance from Economopoulos, Pepin, and nine other local students, spent a month and a half painting the mural. The mural is now on full display at the Pocket Park, and can be viewed Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (Escanaba Daily Press photo)

ESCANABA — The Michigan Department of Natural Resources has collaborated with the Bonifas Arts Center to add a colorful creation to the DNR’s Pocket Park, located at the U.P. State Fairgrounds. An outdoor scene, featuring imagery of wildlife, fisheries, and outdoor sportsmanship, now adorns the wall of the building adjacent to the Pocket Park’s central office.

“The Pocket Park already gives you the feeling that you are in the outdoors, so adding the mural only makes it that much more interesting,” said Jo Ann Alexander of the DNR. “To me, I feel like the mural represents all of Michigan’s wildlife and fish.”

The Bonifas and DNR Pocket Park Mural will be the second project that the two entities have created together. The two first partnered in 2018 to create the large-scale mural on the face of the MDNR Escanaba Customer Service Center, located on U.S. 2 and 41 between Gladstone and Escanaba. Because the Pocket Park is currently receiving improvements, with the office building receiving new siding and carpeting, Alexander and others had the idea to partner with the Bonifas again to help spruce up the area.

“I am very happy and excited to continue this wonderful partnership with the DNR to bring together our incredible natural resources, the community spirit, and the arts,” Irina Bruno, executive director of the Bonifas Arts Center, said during the mural’s unveiling Wednesday afternoon.

The creation of the new mural was spearheaded by Staci Berg, education coordinator at the Bonifas Arts Center, and James Finlan, the main mural artist for the Bonifas. The mural, which emulates a panoramic shot of an inland lake, with trees, ducks, and everything in between, was Finlan’s original design and idea. While Finlan was the main artist, he received plenty of assistance from local artists, particularly those who are still in school.

Two students in particular, Leia Economopoulos and Trinity Pepin, dedicated a large chunk of their summer vacation to finishing the mural.

“There were 11 high school and middle school students involved in painting,” Bruno said. “[Economopolous and Pepin] were the young artists who were here every day, all of the time. They participated in every part of the mural.”

Finlan began designing the mural in mid-April, with the painting process starting in the middle of May. Because the surface of the mural was corrugated, with distinct ridges, Finlan and the students had to adjust their painting styles accordingly. The entire mural took about a month and a half to paint, with some final touches yet to be added.

“The partnership has been wonderful, and the lead artist, Jim Finlan, he did a great job creating this mural. We just couldn’t be happier,” Alexander said. “This project was just on paper a few short months ago and now it is a reality.”

Wednesday’s reveal was met with plenty of community support, with groups of people gathering to check out the mural and all of its intricacies. While the mural itself is beautiful to look at, it is also interactive. When painting, Finlan decided to hide a fairy house within the outdoor scene. While there is no prize for finding the hidden fairy house, it creates a fun game for viewers of all ages. The Pocket Park is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. throughout the summer for those interested in viewing the mural.

“The DNR Pocket Park is one of the community’s hidden gems,” Alexander said. “It is a place where you can have lunch … relax, try your hand at fishing, and enjoy the new outdoor mural.”

Additionally, the Bonifas Arts Center will be taking over the Community Art Building at the 2022 U.P. State Fair, which is located near the DNR’s Pocket Park.

“You can simultaneously visit the Pocket Park and enjoy everything there, see the mural, and then stop by the Community Art Building and do an art project there to have a quiet activity during the fair,” Bruno said.