ST. GEORGE, Utah — Colorful bison have become a fixture in St. George since the Utah Tech Trailblazer bison art program was introduced about seven years ago. But the latest and one of the very last of the bison is going to be special in more ways than one.
Created by Utah Tech University and known officially as Trailblazer Art in the City, the bison project has been ongoing since 2017. Local artists put brush to bison hide, paid for by local businesses that sponsor each.
Artist Susan Plouzek is just starting work on a Trailblazer Bison titled “Love Fearlessly.” It will be covered in rainbow circles with 20 phrases meant to encourage people in the LGBTQ community as well as a tolerance for them.
Among them are “love is love,” you are enough,” “spread kindness.” But Plouzek said
“We need to have compassion for everyone. Everyone is a person,” Plouzek said. “And my belief personally is we're all children of God. And so I feel like we should show compassion to everyone.”
Other bison have been pieces ranging from a salute to first responders to entrepreneurism to local scenery and wildlife.
But unlike the others, there wasn’t a big sponsor behind paying for it.
“This one was unique because this one was led by some community leaders that got a group of people together,” said Jordon Sharp, Utah Tech’s vice president of communications. “There wasn't a big corporate foundation behind this one. It was just people that wanted to leave their mark.”
Retired nutritionist Carsten Smidt is leading the community effort, contributing the first $4,000, getting $4,000 more from LGBTQ groups and needing about $4,000 more to cover the cost of the installation.
They’re hoping to raise the rest through a GoFundMe page.
“It's a piece that should invoke some thoughtfulness about what it really means to include everybody and not to be judgmental,” Smidt said.
The plan was for 30 Trailblazer Bison and this would be one of the last with no plans at this point for more. Plouzek has already received the blank, white fiberglass bison and has started work. But she doesn't see a blank canvas. .
“As an artist, I see the end result most of the time,” she said.
If all goes well between the artist brush and fundraising, the bison is going to find a home in November at Encircle, which is a safe house for LGBTQ youth and their families in St. George.
