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Project looks to bring life to Kalispell walking tunnels

Kalispell Tunnel Art
Posted at 11:37 AM, Feb 23, 2021
and last updated 2021-02-23 13:37:43-05

KALISPELL — The Northwest Montana Rails to Trails group has teamed up with a Kalispell art center to bring life back to the tunnels along a walking trail.

“I really got tired of blank grey walls of these tunnels,” project coordinator Kip Smith said.

Smith collaborated with the KALICO Art Center in Kalispell to bring color to the tunnels along the biking and walking trail along US Highway 93.

“Our part is to provide opportunities for people in our community to experience art on for artists to have a platform to amplify their voice,” KALICO Art Center co-founder Alisha Shilling explained.

Shilling says she is waiting to see the artist's hard-work into the community.

“We’re all approaching March since that one-year mark and I am just excited to think about come July,” she said. “We’re gonna have are going up it’s so fun to see art painted at such a large scale like this.”

Montana artists can apply to paint the sides of the tunnels until March 17, and Smith and Schilling say it will make the trails more exciting for everyone.

“Mostly it’s about bringing community yard street art to our community and I am improving the experience for people using the trail,” Smith told MTN News.

The winning artists will receive $1,800. Artists can apply here.