The “Great Zonta Wildlife Murals,” by Amber Kear, Artist and Creator at Hysteria, Co., lines the boat wall at Zonta Landing. The mural features portraits of animals commonly seen along the Blanchard River: the Great Blue Heron, Mallard Duck, Swan, Canadian Goose, Bald Eagle and Fox Squirrels.
The project began earlier this year when Kear approached the Hancock County Park District about designing t-shirts. Instead, Administrative Operations Manager for the Hancock County Park District Jamie Shane suggested a mural to brighten up the boat rental area.
“My vision for it is exactly what happened,” Shane said. “It's bright now, you turn the corner coming in on a boat, and this is what you see. It’s not just a plain brown wall anymore.”
Shortly after creating a proposal, the Hancock County Parks Foundation approved and fully funded the project. After several months and collaboration with park program staff, the mural was created, representing wildlife accurately and acting as an educational tool.
“It's focusing on the animals that you can see on the water out here,” Shane said. “Amber was actually able to paint the colors that you see on the animals, that was a big thing for us. We wanted to make sure that the colors were as close as we could get them to the animals out here because it’s for education too.”
The mural also deters graffiti in an area that has previously been the target of vandalism.
“The regular vandalism that happens down here was kind of another point to the mural,” Kearns said.
Zonta Landing rents out kayaks, canoes and paddle boats on weekends and holidays in the summer, from Memorial Day to Labor Day. Visitors are encouraged to take photos with the mural and share their experiences on social media.
“The feedback that I'm getting is that people think it's beautiful,” Kear said. “They love the fact that the Hancock County Parks District invested in this space down here, specifically. People can't wait to get out on their boats so that they can enjoy this too.”
Kear said she is proud to have created artwork for the community she proudly grew up in.
“This has been a staple of my childhood,” Kearns said. “It was kind of a dream come true when this happened — as a mural artist and as a small business owner.”
An upcoming float on Aug. 14 will give visitors a chance to experience the local wildlife firsthand. Beginning and ending at Zonta Landing, the Animals of the Blanchard River float will be a guided tour traveling upstream to Eastpoint River and back.
“In my opinion, this is a huge improvement to the parks,” Shane said. Our program staff is always trying to educate and this will be a good peace to help with education.”
For more information on Zonta Landing Boat Rentals and upcoming events, visit hancockparks.com.