Frazer School Places Second In Region For Montana Paint The State

On Aug. 29, the Montana Meth Project announced the winners of its Paint the State art contest, including three grand prize winners who will each receive $10,000. The Meth Project will award 44 statewide and regional prizes, totaling more than $100,000 to Paint the State artists. Frazer High School placed second in the region with their two phase painting on the local grain elevator on Highway 2 in Frazer.

Under team leader Teresa Heil and artists Kalianna Blount, Angel Nelligan, Christopher Fox and Baily Beston, they painted their work in two phases. During phase one, they worked on a giant graffiti style installation with their own original community outreach message. During phase two, they went back on site and added more meth prevention messages in order to bring context to the viewers. A fierce Bearcub head, the school's mascot, was added and so was the the Montana Meth Project name and tagline of "Not Even Once," while also tying in the state shape.

The color scheme was consistent to pull the two phases of the project together into one cohesive piece. The materials used were primer, Montana Cans spray paint, acrylic markers, stencils, tape, sharpies, gloves, scissors, cardboard, and varnish. The artists were inspired to capture the entire spirit of the Paint the State contest through securing an interesting location, scaling the piece to monumental size, making it clearly visible to the public, and challenge themselves with a new process.

Frazer School's team hopes to use public art as a message to stop methamphetamine from destroying lives and families in our community.

They could not have done this project without the support of Ryan Fast, Fast Farms, Nyah DeRyke, Canku Project, Fort Peck Community College, Paula Ciniero, Fort Peck Health Promotion Disease Prevention and Frazer Public Schools.

Earlier this year, the Meth Project invited teens and adults to participate in Paint the State and use their creativity to inspire drug-free lives in their communities. More than 100 public works of art with the Meth Project's "Not Even Once" message can now be seen throuhgout the state. Other winning artwork and the gallery of entires can be viewed at PaintTheState.org.

"Paint the State is truly a community effort. Behind each participant are people who offered locations, supplies and moral support to undertake such massive projects," said Executive Director of the Montana Meth Project Amy Rue. "From all the artist thank yous, we estimate nearly 5,000 Montanans, including business owners, family members and community supporters joined the effort to spread the 'Not Even Once' message and make these art pieces possible with direct support to their hometown aritsts."

Paint the State is supported completely by private funding. In addition to the businesses and individuals who donated directly to the artists, supporters include the Thomas and Stacey Siebel Foundation, Dennis and Phyllis Washington Foundation, Gianforte Family Foundation, Stockman Bank, Town Pump, Gilhousen Family Foundation and Pennmont Foundation.