Nearly a dozen Fort Dodge area student artists came together to create a spacious and colorful mural inside Fort Frenzy Family Entertainment Center. The mural, titled “Colorfall,” was designed by Fort Dodge Senior High School student Saiya Noborikawa and features the artwork of more than 40 area student artists.
“This has been a fun project to bring together people from all over the area to work on a common piece of public art,” said Shelly Bottorff, executive director of the Fort Dodge Fine Arts Association. “It encompassed a diverse group of students from start to finish and brought them together to create a stunning end result.”
The mural is located along the west interior wall at Fort Frenzy and is directly across from a mural previously done by local artist Renee McDonald, creating an “artist’s alley,” according to Bottorff.
“As the Fort Dodge Fine Arts Association’s Youth Art Council began discussing potential projects for the 2023-2024 school year, I mentioned the idea of a mural,” said Bottorff. “I told them that I had no idea how to make it work, but that we had all of the supplies if one of them could come up with a design.”
Noborikawa designed “Colorfall” with fellow students Briley Singer, Emma Davis, Sol Birkey, Logan Hamilton, Maya Neverman, Tristen Holst, Josie Novencido, and Remy Smith working on planning, design and execution of the mural. Fort Dodge Senior High art instructor Deidra Miller-Clay also assisted with the logistical aspects of the mural.