EPHRAIM – The Sanpete Kindness Project will unveil its “Kindness Mural” this Saturday at 10 a.m. at the Ephraim Family Park. Music and refreshments will enhance the experience, and everyone is welcome.
The idea was to create a kindness-themed mural was the brainchild of Linda Christiansen head of the nonprofit, and her friend, Denise Duncan. They partnered with Amy Jorgensen of Granary Arts in Ephraim; the Sanpete County mural artist, Juliana Hutchins Ash, and several local students to make it a reality.
The design of the mural comes from Ash, who has 35 years of experience in the art. Christiansen liked the idea of interactive butterflies. The butterflies are designed for people of all ages to pose with, whether they’re tall, short, or even in a wheelchair. Ash said that when conceptualizing the design, what came to her mind repeatedly was a song from her youth titled, “Kindness Begins with Me.”
The song is incorporated in with the butterflies, with little caterpillars and other creatures helping each other achieve their potential.
Caterpullars may be plain looking, and some may be pretty, but they are not beautiful, says Ash. “Then they turn into cocoons and go through a metamorphosis to become butterflies,” Ash said. “I believe people do the same thing, we all go through awkward stages too, then we evolve into our potential selves, which are all beautiful.
A couple years ago, Ash married a local resident Virgil Ash, a teacher at Snow College. Now, with her home in Ephraim, which she loves.
Ash wants to not only bring her art to Sanpete but teach others how to paint murals, something she has been doing for 35 years.
“Mural-ing has been such a blessing to me,” Ash said. “When I was a young mother, I did the shows and galleries with my pencil drawings by no peans made a living at it. Suddenly I found myself single with me needing to support my four little kids. I started painting murals on video stores everywhere and not only made a living but I never had to put my kids in daycare.”
