Client: Bryce Wildlife Museum

Overview

Bryce Wildlife Museum in Bryce Canyon, Utah. When the Bryce Wildlife Museum was preparing to relocate from Panguitch, Utah to the edge of Bryce Canyon National Park, I was asked paint murals and assist with staging to create realistic habitats for their animal collection. The Museum had raised $40,000 in grants and donations from the community, which became their budget. Working closely with the Director, I painted background murals for exhibits and helped provide value engineering and guidance on the final staging. The final result is that the Museum has become regarded as one of the finest wildlife museums in the Southwestern United States.

Goals

The Bryce Wildlife Museum is dedicated to increasing knowledge and appreciation of the diverse wildlife of the world. My goal was to incorporate the Museum’s mission into mural design so that the finished product for every display would allow visitors to view animals in naturalistic positions against a background that could be appreciated directly as art, or in more depth, would be seen to provide details on the environments where these animals would be found in nature.

Process

Working in collaboration with the Director, we discussed background scenes that would enhance the animal mounts to be exhibited while providing information on the habitat where the animal may be found. After painting the murals, I provided guidance on best options for staging the animals, and ways to enhance the exhibits while staying within the Museum’s operating budget.

Additional Information

This project was started and complete in 3 months time. I completed a mural every three days. It was required to meet the opening date of the museum. I met that deadline and the museum has been the highlight of Bryce Utah every since.