Utility box artist enjoys ‘friendly competition’ with her sister – Detroit Lakes Tribune

DETROIT LAKES

— Siblings Shelley Paxton and Darlene Harrison (nee Malvick) had no idea that they had each submitted applications to provide artwork for the second phase of the “Detroit Lakes Energy” utility box public art project earlier this year.

“We don’t really tell each other what we’re working on,” Paxton explained, noting that they are “very competitive” with each other when it comes to public art projects like this one, and often find themselves in the running for the same projects.

In this case, however, the friendly competition between sisters turned out to be a draw, so to speak: Both graphic artists had their work chosen to be placed on one of the five utility boxes that were selected for

the second phase

of the Detroit Lakes Energy project.

For Paxton, it was her first time as part of this particular project, while

Harrison had also been one of the seven artists selected

for phase one in 2023.

Book return.jpg — Shelley Paxton was the designer for the Detroit Lakes Public Library’s new drive-through book drop, which opened this past summer. The book drop is located on State Street, which is a one-way street located between U.S. Highway 10 and Graystone Plaza in downtown Detroit Lakes.

It wasn’t Paxton’s first time participating in a public art project for the Detroit Lakes community, however: “My involvement in community art in Detroit Lakes began with the

‘150 Sails Up’

project,” she said. “I designed six sailboats for that … two big ones and four smaller ones.”

Several of them can still be seen around town, including one on the Highway 10 scenic overlook that also houses two other pieces of public art, a

Jim Dolan sculpture

and a

kinetic sculpture by Seattle artist Andrew Carson.

She also had her work chosen to decorate

the Detroit Lakes Public Library’s new book drop

in front of the Graystone Hotel earlier this year, as well as a couple more book drops for libraries in Halstad and Fertile, Minnesota.

For the Detroit Lakes Energy project, she submitted a design that prominently displays a singing frog, with the title “Loud Parties.” The box selected for her design is located just off North Shore Drive in the City Park, across the street from the DLHS football field.

Shelly Paxton Utility Box Map.PNG — This map shows the location of the public utility box that is decorated with a vinyl wrap containing Detroit Lakes artist Shelly Paxton’s original graphic design, “Loud Parties.”

The winning design (which was not the only one she submitted) was inspired by the frogs that could be heard singing outside the Pelican Lake home that she and husband Zach Paxton purchased and moved into this past May.

Prior to making the move back to Shelley’s hometown, the Paxtons had lived and raised their family in Fargo, where they also operate their own business,

Custom Graphics

— the same company where they had originally met as employees many years earlier.

Shelley Paxton moved to Fargo not long after graduating from Detroit Lakes High School in 1988. “I knew I wanted to pursue an art field,” she said, “and I had accumulated some experience working in a dark room, developing negatives, so I started doing that (at Custom Graphics).”

Eventually, she obtained some additional education in the graphic arts field and worked her way up in the company. “I became a graphics installer,” Paxton said, adding that she designed customized graphics for vehicle wraps.

About seven years ago, she and Zach purchased the business, which specializes in customized signage and vinyl wraps as well as a variety of other graphic design work. She also does a lot of freelance work as a graphic designer, and used her experience to participate in public art projects like 150 Sails Up and Detroit Lakes Energy.

In addition to her graphic design work, however, Paxton also enjoys teaching: She says she would like to open a small art studio in her home to host painting parties and similar events, and hopes to start hosting some art classes there in 2025.

Though one of the utility boxes involved in the second phase of the “Detroit Lakes Energy” project won’t be completed until spring, there are three others besides Paxton’s that are installed and ready for public viewing.

The one created by Darlene Harrison, titled “Lake Life,” can be found on the utility box located on the east side of Washington Avenue, across the street from Becker Pet and Garden on the campus of Essentia Health St. Mary’s.

Another Detroit Lakes artist, Carmen McCullough, created the artwork for a utility box located next to the Lakeshirts Stickerville building on Randolph Road, titled “Drops of Jupiter,” while Minneapolis artist Sue Mooney created “Under the Sea 2,” located on the campus of Detroit Lakes Middle School on Central Avenue.

The fifth box included in this project, which is located near the Sinclair Station at the intersection of the Highway 59 frontage road and Marrow Avenue, will be decorated with artwork created by Detroit Lakes artists Meg and Preslee Barker, titled “The Fish of DL.” That box is slated for completion in the spring of 2025, according to Project 412 Executive Director Amy Stoller Stearns.

Visit

project412mn.org/create-dl

for more information.

A reporter at Detroit Lakes Newspapers since relocating to the community in October 2000, Vicki was promoted to Community News Lead for the Detroit Lakes Tribune and Perham Focus on Jan. 1, 2022. She has covered pretty much every “beat” that a reporter can be assigned, from county board and city council to entertainment, crime and even sports. Born and raised in Madelia, Minnesota, she is a graduate of Hamline University, from which she earned a bachelor’s degree in English literature (writing concentration). You can reach her at 218-844-1454 or [email protected].

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