Skagway kids between the ages of 8 and 12 painted one of the panels on the interior of the new ice rink fence. (Photo courtesy of Holley Drake)

The Skagway Recreation Center has been closed for the summer to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Staff have taken advantage of the hiatus to make some improvements. Now the municipality will pay artists to help decorate the new plywood fence that surrounds the ice rink. 

The Skagway Recreation Center has received a facelift over the past few months. It’s got a new roof, new paint in the interior, and new flooring in the kitchen and multipurpose room. 

Outside the facility there is a new fence around the ice rink. Rec center director Katherine Nelson says it could use some color. 

“Rather than painting it a basic white, I thought it would be fun to put it out there to the community to see if any artists would be interested in doing murals,” Nelson says. 

Over the past few weeks, rec center staff have been working with local kids on a series of murals on the interior of the fence. 

The colorful murals include positive quotes that promote community. There are rainbows, handprints, and the natural landscape of Skagway.

Nelson says it’s one of a few outdoor activities she has come up with while the rec center is closed to the public.

“My staff is wearing masks and the kids can come in and work on the mural for their age group and have a fun little art project to do over the summer.”

So far the kids have begun painting murals on four panels measuring 8 by 4 feet, but there are 20 more spaces available. The rec center is now soliciting help from the community at large, and the city will pay for the work.  

There’s an application open for artists to submit proposals for designs they would like to paint on one of the inner panels of the ice rink fence. 

“The rec center board will review them and decide which ones will have the opportunity to put their artwork up and the city will pay them a thousand dollars to have it done,” Nelson says.

There are no specific themes or images that the rec center is looking for. They just want the murals to be positive. The board will select designs by August 5th and artists will have until September 30th to finish their murals. 

Applications can be picked up from the skate shed located on Main Street between 11th and 13th. They must be returned to city hall by July 31.