What I love are small towns like this that still remain vibrant, vital and choose to invest in their history. It was sponsored in by the Chamber of Commerce, the Historical Society, the University at Stout as well as a huge handful of local business partners that thought it was important enough to pony up some money.
Bring in the Walldogs! We spoke to a member at an info desk and they are this amazing guild of mural artists - the real thing. They specialize in vintage wall art using modern painting methods. They come from all over the US. The mission is not to do commercial hard-sells, but to keep a lost art form alive. And the part we I found most inspiring is their mission to connect in a community way.
And what was even more uplifting is that the local community was on board doing the grunt work right next to the artists. We went on the Saturday, prior to the grand reveal on Sunday. Each team has a designer/ artist who creates the work. And then a project manager, just like an architecture firm who delegates how to get the work done in a finite period of time over the weekend. Some volunteers were mixing paint and cleaning up messes. Others with theater skills or interior design were doing some of the broad strokes while the Walldogs team did the detail work as they were coming to a close. They are all hosted in town by families and it felt like an old potluck, community event. Artists had time to tell you about the choices, pet the dogs and just chow down on donated food from the local restaurants. It all felt like important work and will be a lasting arts legacy that the city will have for another generation.
From the Menomonie website; "Every mural tells a story, and every person who contributed is part of that story." We look forward to going back later in the summer to take in the finished murals.
