Tunnel artwork opens a window to a wider world

Artist Jenna Myrland, like many other Eden Prairie residents, loves to run on the city’s many trails. “They mean so much to me and my family and our quality of life,” she said. 

A few of the tunnels she runs through inspired her mural at the entrance of the Minnesota River Vista Outlook tunnel. Myrland painted the mural in 2019 with the help of students from PiM Arts High School in Eden Prairie. It is a permanent installation of the Eden Prairie Public Art program.

Traveling beneath Flying Cloud Drive and reachable by a trail off nearby Charlson Road, the tunnel leads to stunning panoramic views of the river valley. 

“I just love the idea of a tunnel being a transportation to a different world,” Myrland said. “Especially with the overlook, I thought how fun it would be to take from the local fauna and flora and create this whimsical larger-than-life image that draws you into this vista, or other-world space.” 

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Before becoming a full-time artist, Myrland worked in humanitarian relief in the United States, Africa and Asia. During that time, she also became a self-trained artist in oil painting. “I felt drawn to the process of making and creating with my hands and through my art,” she said. 

In 2018 she launched a new career in fine art. She soon began making connections with other artists through the Eden Prairie Art Center, which led her to submit her proposal for the vista outlook mural. It was especially gratifying for Myrland to be chosen for an installation in her hometown. “To be chosen was such a delight, and I was honored to be trusted with that – especially to create something permanent like that,” she said.

“My other art is photorealistic oil painting, which is a totally different process than doing murals at full scale,” she said. This departure led to subsequent murals that can be seen around the Twin Cities, including one at the Mall of America.

Myrland currently focuses her creativity on her commercial design business. Murals still play a role in her work as she “introduces custom art pieces that help build out the identity of a commercial space,” she said.

Myrland’s design process for the vista outlook centered around “the appreciation for the local landscape and getting lost in it,” she said. She was already quite familiar with the area since she and her family like to hike the Richard T. Anderson Conservation Area trails. “To be part of that location with the overlook was so wonderful,” she said. “It is an important place to our family.”

Myrland’s collaboration with PiM Arts High School benefitted her and the students. “I got to involve a class in the creation process, and they also helped in the painting process. It was a great way to help kids translate an idea or a vision through to reality,” she said.

Since this was her first mural and it was in an unusual location, Myrland and the students faced a learning curve. Minnesota’s climate required careful consideration of materials, including the use of exterior paints to withstand the weather.

Also, “there’s condensation in tunnels, and because I was new to painting in tunnels, there’s things I learned about, like needing to wait until certain times of day until the condensation has dried and giving it enough time to dry so it doesn’t change overnight,” she said. “And removing the friendly slugs that were in the tunnel. All those things you don’t think of until you’re in the middle of it!” 

Joy and whimsy, in the form of colorful, outsized flowers and leaves, entice walkers and bikers for a closer look. Yet Myrland’s ultimate purpose is to highlight the equally magical view that awaits at the other end of the tunnel.

“The biggest hope is that the colors and the attention that is focused on the (tunnel) entrance will draw people in so that they can appreciate the full vista,” she said. “It’s not necessarily even the mural itself, but more the attention to the area and drawing people in to give them the opportunity to experience the vista for themselves.”

Related: Public art is woven into Eden Prairie’s landscape, enriching spaces and sparking conversation. Learn how city leaders and artists collaborate to make creativity a vital part of the community.