REGINA -- A local artist has turned someone else’s trash into treasure for a Regina youth organization.

Jolyn Michaelis paints murals for the organization Street Culture Project that works with inner city youth and gives opportunities for work experience while providing services for the community.

Her most recent project is inspired by the nature of Saskatchewan.

“I just thought about what Saskatchewan meant to me,” said Michaelis. “I felt like I needed to put some of the most iconic animals on the one side.”

On one side is a bison, moose, antelope, fish and a fox. They are all blended together with the landscape which resembles the Saskatchewan prairie. On the other side, three elk stand on a hill that overlooks the Regina city skyline.

“I felt the two towers of course are one of the most iconic parts of the city,” said Michaelis. “I wanted to really draw emphasis to them.”

Dumpster mural

While the art is vibrant, another element that makes the mural unique is that it is painted on the side of a dumpster.

The idea came to fruition when the organization reached out to the company Just Bins for a dumpster on sites for their projects.

“I thought it would be awesome to get [a mural] on one of our dumpsters as a way to market and promote what they do,” said Joe Audette.

The painted dumpster will be available to the public for rental starting in August. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to Street Culture.

The organization offers multiple services to the community.

“We do a lot of decks and fences in the summer,” said Braden McKay, the director of strategy for Street Culture Project. “We have property management and yard care and we also have mural services.

“We partner our construction company with our Work and Mentorship program (WAM). We give paid employment opportunities to young people with significant barriers to employment.”

Audette says the local community is important to their business.

“We are proud to be a local business,” said Audette. “We’re proud to partner with great local charities like Street Culture.”

Michaelis is hoping the new mural will bring more awareness to the work Street Culture is doing in the community.

“Even just a mural nearby gets people interested,” said Michaelis. “We also use murals within our organization to sort of inspire and help out our youth.”

While only the single dumpster has been painted right now, Just Bins and Street Culture Project are hoping to have enough demand to create more in the future.