City of Sand Springs commissions mural for abandoned Monarch Cement silo
/Final concept for a mural designed by Josh Butts Creative Services. (Courtesy photo).
The City of Sand Springs recently commissioned a mural to be painted on an abandoned silo formerly owned by the Monarch Cement Company. City Council authorized $49,500 to go towards supplies, designs, and the painting of the silo mural and another mural at a currently undisclosed location.
The silo property is currently owned by Ray and Emile Tucker and is located along Highway 51 just west of the Avery Drive intersection. The land also houses the Riverview RV Park.
The money for the project was taken from the Economic Development Capital Improvement Fund. The City contracted with Josh Butts Creative Services, a Tulsa-based artist. Butt's design was approved by both City officials and the Tuckers before painting began.
The Tuckers agreed to the placement of the design and to use their best efforts to maintain the design in a good condition for a minimum of five years. At the conclusion of the five-year period, the property owners will have the right to remove, replace, or retain the design at their discretion. The City is also authorized to install a parking area if it should be deemed necessary.
After conducting his own research on the City of Sand Springs, Butts concluded that "it is impossible to separate the character of Sand Springs from the character of its founder, Charles Page...Charles Page believed in his own destiny - that the world can be yours if you exhibit vision and a strength of will."
"In effect, in style and in intent - this mural communicates the same sense of vision and will. It depicts Charles Page opening the curtain to a bright and vibrant future. By creating this mural, the City of Sand Springs is claiming its own manifest destiny," says Butts.
The project was originally expected to take six weeks to complete and is already under way. Butts says that it's coming along nicely and moving very quickly.
