Deidre Miller-Clay, Fort Dodge Senior High art teacher, and her daughter, Saiya Noborikawa, wanted the white walls of the entrance to welcome youth in a vibrant, yet educational way.

“This is the entrance for the kids when they come in for field trips and tours,” said Miller-Clay. “There will be hooks along the wall. The idea was an I-Spy for the kids. I think the title will be ‘I-Spy Iowa’s Bounty.’ We tried to put as many critters that are Iowa-related in the mural as we could and we have them at different vantage points too because there will be little kids and big kids using this entrance.”

Noborikawa designed the murals using just a pencil and white notebook paper.

“I don’t always draw in color so it’s really nice to see it blown up in color,” said Noborikawa, who also designed the Discovery Center’s large butterfly mural. “I can just imagine little kids coming in here and seeing it and getting excited because this is their entrance. This is their introduction to the building, and I think it sets the tone for what they’re going to learn and experience.”

-Messenger photo by Kelli Bloomquist
Deidre Miller-Clay paints flowers on the large mural at the Matt Cosgrove River’s Edge Discovery Center in Fort Dodge. Miller-Clay, along with her children and many Fort Dodge art students have been working on completing the mural.

While Miller-Clay and Noborikawa were busy painting on the mural Monday morning, many artists from throughout the area have been part of the project.

“There are several Senior High art students that are involved,” said Miller-Clay. “They have helped me with various murals throughout the community. We have four murals in this building. Some students are new and requested to help throughout the summer, and so they’ve been coming and helping as their summer schedule allows.”

According to Miller-Clay, leaders at the Discovery Center told the pair that they’d like the mural at the entrance to be park themed, and Noborikawa created the mural’s design from there.

“Being that this is down by the river and the focus is Iowa’s natural resources, we wanted to be sure that we included water life and rivers and of course trees and nature,” said Miller-Clay. “We have different kinds of species of trees and animals and birds flying and ducks and geese.”

The paint for the new murals was donated, as it also was for the butterfly mural in the Discovery Center’s meeting room.

“It is our joy to be able to give back to the community,” said Miller-Clay. “It’s a great experience for the students. The students that have been doing this with me also helped at the Blanden (Memorial) Art Museum education mural. Some of them have come back to help with this mural, and their growth as artists and as painters has really blossomed.”

“We are excited to continue our partnership with the students and staff from the Fort Dodge Public School System’s Art Program,” said Matt Cosgrove, director of Webster County Conservation. “We love showcasing the incredible talent of our local youth and hope their work creates a sense of ownership in River’s Edge Discovery Center and the community.”