Unveiling Provo River Murals

Members of the Council with North Park Neighborhood Chair Jim Pettersson

On Saturday two murals along the Provo River Trail were unveiled by local artist Jess Smart Smiley, who donated his time and skills to the project. The Provo Council provided the funding as part of their Neighborhood Matching Grant program, which is designed to beautify neighborhoods and provide opportunities for neighbors to serve each other and their communities.  

The goal of the murals is to beautify the area and bring more people to the Provo River Trail, and in so doing, also deter crime in the area. To read more about the hoped for crime deterrence aspect of the murals and see a Google map of their location, check out this great story on KSL.com here.  

You can also view some before and after pictures of Smiley’s progress on the murals at Provo Mayor Curtis’ blog here, and see more of Smiley’s work at his own website here.

The idea for the mural’s construction was initially brought up at a neighborhood meeting, where it inspired Janna Lee Haigh of the Provo Police Department, who together with the Neighborhood Chair Jim Pettersson and Sargent Crosby of the Provo Police helped to make it a reality.

You can find the mural where the Provo River Parkway meets Columbia Lane.

Sergent Crosby and Janna Lee Haigh of the Provo Police Department