It was well over a year ago when Butte officials commissioned renowned folk artist Eric Dowdle to start a new project — creating an original painting and puzzle of Butte, America.
Decision made, board members with the Butte-Silver Bow Chamber of Commerce and Butte Local Development Corp., began working together on getting funding to execute the project and between the two entities, were able to pull it off.
The artist’s vision became a reality Tuesday night, and Stephanie Sorini, head of the B-SB Chamber, let everyone at The Butte Depot know she was more than happy with the finished product.
“I can’t believe this day is here,” said Sorini. “We are over-the-top thrilled.”
A huge fan of Dowdle’s work, Tom Cronnelly, a Chamber board member, has been buying his puzzles for years.
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“We were blown away at the amount of research he did,” said Cronnelly. “The puzzle is so detailed.”
Although officials had some input on what might be included in the puzzle, the final decision was Dowdle’s.
“It was all at his discretion,” said Cronnelly.
At the launch party, Chief Executive J.P. Gallagher told attendees it was an exciting day for Butte and admitted he, too, was astounded by the final product.
“Bringing a talent like Eric to our community is a big deal,” said Gallagher. “Butte, America — it’s a big, damn deal.”
The cost of the puzzle is $30 and can be purchased at the Chamber office at 1000 George St., and at the Berkeley Pit Viewing Stand, 350 Shields Ave. Shipping will be available as well. Proceeds will benefit not only the Chamber, but the BLDC, and will go toward upcoming business and tourism improvement projects.
For the past few months, Sorini, along with her team, have fielded many calls and texts about the puzzle. Those should continue, she said, with expectations of selling all the puzzles.
“The wait is over,” said Sorini. “This is Butte through Eric’s eyes and his artwork captured its uniqueness.”