{"id":28750,"date":"2024-03-08T17:14:11","date_gmt":"2024-03-09T00:14:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/new-owner-promotes-bison-mural-art-studio-in-mancos\/"},"modified":"2026-03-31T00:39:31","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T06:39:31","slug":"new-owner-promotes-bison-mural-art-studio-in-mancos","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/new-owner-promotes-bison-mural-art-studio-in-mancos\/","title":{"rendered":"New owner promotes bison mural, art studio in Mancos"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"After
After two years of uncertainty about the fate a mural in Mancos, the building\u2019s new owner said they are here to stay. (Alex Bond\/Courtesy photo)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n

An artist has purchased the building in Mancos that displays a once-controversial mural of bison and is promoting it as a studio for his \u201cbig metal art\u201d and as a learning center for children.<\/p>\n

Alex Bond said he bought the building at 298 N. Monte St. as a full-time art studio and metalworking classes.<\/p>\n

Bond said he had rented it as a studio for about a year before buying it. His art is displayed in Durango and other areas. His metal art consists of stone carving and woodworking.<\/p>\n

He has worked as an artist for about five years, but created his first piece of public art when he was 15 years old and living in Manitou Springs.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been here, and I\u2019ve always wanted to buy the building because I think it\u2019s a great place for not only me to make art, but it\u2019s a great studio space for people in the county, especially kids to be able to experience art because it\u2019s close to town and also far enough away from town that we can make noise and make dust and dirt,\u201d Bond said. \u201cIt\u2019s a bit of a dream come true right now for sure.\u201d<\/p>\n

The new studio will host demonstrations on blacksmithing, wood turning and stone carving, as well as some metalworking and welding classes.<\/p>\n

\"Alex
Alex Bond said the mural has become a town staple in Mancos. (Alex Bond\/Courtesy Photo)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Some
Some of Alex Bond\u2019s artwork is displayed outside the studio. (Alex Bond\/Courtesy photo)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

\u201cI hosted some metalworking and welding classes for kids last summer, and we\u2019ll continue to do them this summer,\u201d Bond said. \u201cI\u2019m also wanting to open up studio space to rent short-term on the property for people who might be struggling to find a creative space to have as a creative outlet.\u201d<\/p>\n

Last summer, local organizations such as Mancos Summer Hub, a branch of Mancos United, and Mancos Valley Resources partnered with or sponsored classes offered by Bond.<\/p>\n

Interested parties may call Bond at (970) 403-2947 or sign up with Mancos Summer Hub.<\/p>\n

Bond said he hopes that people who attend the classes or workshops leave with a deeper appreciation of art and of who they are as a person.<\/p>\n

\u201cI hope they experience some sort of transformation,\u201d Bond said. \u201cI think what I love about art and being an artist is that everybody knows that we as people transform the material, the stone and the metal, but I think that is less obvious to people is that it is also transformative for people. It brings people closer, and the process of making art doesn\u2019t just produce something that people can hold, but it produces a stronger community and a better individual.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIn addition to making something that somebody feels proud of, my real hope is that by experiencing the creative process, people can learn more about who they are to transform and grow,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Bond also addressed the bison mural, saying that he and the artist of the mural, Chip Thomas, who is a physician on the Navajo Nation, plan to add to and showcase the mural\u2019s journey over the past few years. Bond added that the previous owner had tried to remove the mural, causing some damage to the art.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m really excited that the mural is definitely going to stay,\u201d Bond said. \u201cThe guy that made the mural was here about a week ago, and we looked at it together, and I\u2019m currently talking to him about refurbishing the bison. We\u2019re definitely going to keep them here for the town to enjoy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd what Chip and I think would be really cool is to have an artist come and paint a theme punk crazy prosthetic leg on the buffalo. That way the old story of the buffalo trying to be erased and then staying and surviving is told rather than just erasing it and trying to pretend that it never happened because it did happen,\u201d Bond said. \u201cHe tried to get the mural off and now it\u2019s here to stay by some crazy turn of events.\u201d<\/p>\n

The mural was commissioned <\/a>in 2022 by the Mancos Creative District, but once the mural was finished, Jury Krajack, the owner at the time, said he didn\u2019t approve the design and wanted it removed, leading to a two-year debate on the fate of the controversial mural.<\/p>\n

Despite the controversy and uncertainty regarding the mural\u2019s fate, it has become a beloved popular spot in the town, with many locals and tourists taking photos of the mural as they drive through town.<\/p>\n

Now, the guessing is over. Bond says the mural is here to stay.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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