A postcard-style mural featuring iconic symbols of Durango is expected to adorn the side of a marketing agency near north Main Avenue and 26th Street this spring.

The mural, called #WelcometoDurango, will feature the word “Durango” across scenes of the area’s landscape and will be filled with symbols of outdoor adventure, such as skis, tents and kayaks.

The city of Durango’s Public Art Commission gave a $5,000 grant to Mountain Motion Media, said Colleen O’Brien, business development and redevelopment coordinator. The grant will offset the cost of project that is estimated to cost $6,547, according to the business’s application.

“I think the commission liked the visual impact it will have on the corridor and the messaging. It really is a welcome to the community and it highlights some the great aspects of Durango,” she said.

Mountain Motion Media, a content marketing agency at 2607 Main Ave., pitched the postcard-style mural. The agency did not return calls seeking comment.

The city set aside $15,000 for murals and other public art projects along the north Main and Camino del Rio corridor as part of the Durango Creates! grant this year.

Last year, the city gave away about $20,000 through the grant program to help fund similar projects, such as a 300-foot-long mural on the east side of Kroegers Hardware in Town Plaza.

The new mural is expected to contribute to revitalization of the area by slowing traffic, drawing travelers off north Main Avenue to take pictures and increasing Durango’s exposure on social media when visitors share those photos on Instagram and other social platforms, the application said.

The mural’s design is likely to be revised because arts commission members asked the applicants to remove the desert portion of the mural and add an image representative of Durango, O’Brien said. She said she expects work on the mural to start in May.

mshinn@ durangoherald.com