Friends of Bergen Place launch fundraiser for mural update

Last month, The Friends of Bergen Place launched a fundraiser to raise money for the installation of a an updated mural in Bergen Place. The local organization is in the second phase of the project and they need local support.

Canadian artists Mike Svob and Allen Wiley recently completed an updated design of the mural at Bergen Place for the Friends of Bergen Place.  The artists first created a scale mode and digital files of the mural and then a  full-scale test print of a section of the mural was performed by Pacific Studios. The Friends of Bergen Place successfully raised $20,000 from individuals and organizations to fund this first phase of the project.

The Friends of Bergen Place then launched a fundraising drive on February 3 to fund the final phase of the project, the installation of the 12 by 52 foot mural. Before the installation, the new design will be printed on thirteen one-half inch graffiti-resistant panels that are each 12 feet high by 4 feet wide.

The final phase of the project is estimated to cost $48,000 and includes final mounting of the panels on an existing frame in Bergen Place. More than 20 individuals and organizations have already donated $12,370 for the final phase of the project, however, the organization needs more local support.

For almost a decade, the Friends of Bergen Place has been a steward of Bergen Place Park and the mural.  Organization volunteers perform monthly maintenance chores in the park and the group also lead successful campaigns in 2005 and 2008 to enhance the park with the addition of granite plinths etched with the names of the five Nordic countries, five 25-foot flagpoles honoring Ballard’s heritage and an engraved stone marker on which is mounted the plaque memorializing the 1975 dedication of the park by King Olav.

Dedicated in 1995 by Norway’s King Harald and Queen Sonja, the mural is a community treasure that has now exceeded its life expectancy.

“Bergen Place must be maintained as a permanent landmark in the heart of Ballard honoring the community’s rich history and action is required now to restore the mural,” writes The Friends of Bergen Place.

Any contractions can be made by check and mailed to:

Friends of Bergen Place
c/o Nordic Heritage Museum
3014 NW 67th St
Seattle, WA 98117

Make checks payable to the Nordic Heritage Museum and note “Bergen Place Mural” on the memo line.

To find out more information about the project contact Victoria Sangrey Hunter at (206) 335-8391 or Gordon Strand at (206) 783-6634.

Mural image courtesy of Friends of Bergen Place.