Childrens’ Art Graces Billings West End Intersection

If you drive up north on 10th Street W off Grand Avenue, at the stop sign of Avenue D, look left and you will see two metal frames in hot pink, each supporting 45 smaller squares in a 5 x 9 grid.

These lattices on both sides of the street were designed and developed by Terri Porta, the first artist-in-residence for Billings.  For this project, she opened her door and arms to children to paint what they want.  The only limit was the size of the canvas.  She then framed and mounted the works in pink metal so each square can swivel about with the wind.

The two main frames are now installed on two new bulb outs built along the city's first neighborhood bike way from North Park to Rose Park, prioritizing bicycle travel.

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The "Kids' Fridge"

These 180 total squares display the colorful expressions from art students at McKinley and Highland Elementary schools and during the United Way CARE Academy. The kids are the stars of this piece.

Here are some of the mini-masterpieces:

Here is my personal fav: the Birthday Dinosaur.

"Rawr! It's my B-day tomaroww."  The jammies are a hoot!  Hahaha!

A second art display with kids' brushworks will be installed on the little triangular park at 32nd Street and Avenue C, just west of McKinley Elementary.  These works of art and more upcoming are the results of the Mobilize the MAGIC City project.

So enjoy the bike path in the warm sunshine, with breaks to take in some heartwarming art.