TYLER, Texas — Bare blank grey walls line the inside of the Tyler Animal Shelter.
The shelter is inviting artists to come up with original art designs that could be featured as murals on six of the walls inside the shelter.
"What we want to do is put a little bit of color into the shelter," Jennifer Palmer, adoptions counselor at the Shelter, said.
Now through Jan. 31, 2021, the shelter is accepting digital artwork from artists of all ages.
Artists must submit a sketch of the proposed artwork to the Tyler Animal Shelter in electronic form submitted through its website.
According to the city, once selected artists will have one month to complete their artwork.
"The shelter is kind of a gray, it’s blue," Palmer said. "We had lots of comments how it doesn’t look like a shelter it looks more of like a jail."
The shelter is looking to change that by adding an array of color that brings the shelter to life, like the residents who live there.
The facility houses 103 dog kennels and 65 cat kennels for holding, isolation and display, according to the city's website.
They are hoping by bringing in the artwork it will also drive in more visitors and increase adoptions.
"With the colors, everybody kind of gets the word out, ‘Look at the murals at the shelter,’" Palmer said. "They want to kind of look at them, different points of views, that way everybody kind of gets a different view of the shelter."
Currently, the shelter is running a promotion through the month of October and November.
"We have specials all year, different specials, right now our special is on cats," she said. "Bring three bags of food, small bags of food, or six fleece blankets for cat adoption for the month of October and November."
For more information on the complete rules of the beautification project visit the Tyler Animal Shelter's website by clicking here.