Best of Menomonie

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MURALS IN MENOMONIE CONTINUES TO FUNDRAISE A SNEAK PREVIEW EVENT OFFERS RESIDENTS & COMMUNITY STAKEHOLDERS TO VOTE ON ELEMENTS OF THE NEW MURAL INSTALLATIONS words by EVELYN NELSON “The community

A year has gone by since community organizers in the city of Menomonie announced their collaborative efforts to bring large-scale visual art to the city’s urban landscapes. This public art project, “Mu rals in Menomonie,” will serve as a “transformative initiative,” Becca Schoenborn, the executive director of Downtown Menomonie said. The effort will bring local arti sans, residents of the city, and visi tors together to embrace community pride, local creativity, and mental well-being. “Public art has no socioeconomic barriers and can be experienced by anyone,” Schoenborn said. “Art promotes joy, reduces stress, and creates spaces for reflection and connection.” The project, which will result in 15 murals, will benefit the larger Menomonie Open Walldogs Festival, slated for June 24-28 of 2026. The festival will feature over 200 Wall dogs artists — both regional artists and those from around the world — who will collaborate to bring the his tory of Menomonie and its surround ing communities to life through art. Some community members, however, might be wondering: what exactly is a Walldog? Wade Lambrig sten, the standing mural coordinator for Murals In Menomonie and Vin tage Sign Shop owner, said the Wall dogs are an international organiza tion where sign painters, illustra tors, muralists, artists from around the world get together annually in a small town to paint 15 murals over the course of four to five days. Since the Menomonie project’s launch in summer of 2024, communi ty organizers and artisans — includ ing Downtown Menomonie — have followed a general timeline to solid

loved the more unique stories that shaped our history, such as the runaway circus elephant and the human fly who scaled The Marion.” –BECCA SCHOENBORN, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF DOWNTOWN MENOMONIE

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Following the festival, Downtown Menomonie has its eyes set to inte grate both walking and driving tours across town, to showcase the murals in their completion and encourage new visitors to explore the city’s his tory and increase foot traffic at the various locations where murals will be displayed. While there continue to be learning curves in planning a new event, Schoenborn believes this year’s planning and community en gagement prove that the city can ac complish much more together than they could as individuals. “This event wouldn’t be possible without each and every organization involved,” Schoenborn said. Donate toward the Murals in Menomonie project at the Commu nity Foundation of Dunn County webpage (cfdunncounty.fcsuite.com/ erp/donate/list). Announcements of future events, community involve ment and volunteer opportunities, and more will be shared on the Mu rals in Menomonie Facebook.

historical nods to include in other mural designs. Attendees could vote on several historically significant options for murals, including the Anderson Ci gar Factory of Menomonie, the Kraft State Bank Robbery of 1931, and a Hmong Story Cloth. “The community loved the more unique stories that shaped our his tory, such as the runaway circus elephant and the human fly who scaled The Marion,” Schoenborn said. “They were equally as excited about showcasing the Indigenous and Hmong histories of our region.” The Murals in Menomonie proj ect still aims to raise $300,000 from local stakeholders, sponsors, friends and family, and more. Raised funds will support Downtown Menomonie’s priority goals to plan the Menomonie Open Walldogs Festival for 2026, provide accommodations for the traveling artists, and plan additional events throughout the five-days art ists are in town, she noted.

ify both the fundraising efforts and art-to-be-displayed across the city. Downtown Menomonie, Explore Menomonie, the City of Menomonie, the Community Foundation of Dunn County, Dunn County Historical So ciety, University of Wisconsin-Stout, and Vintage Sign Shop remain pillar organizers to the project. “This is the first time all of our organizations have pooled our re sources to host a large-scale event,” Schoenborn said. “Each individual committee member brings value and experience necessary for the festival to be a success.” To bolster fundraising efforts and invite community members to experience the Walldogs' progress updates, Murals In Menomonie host ed a sneak peek event on June 18 in the Mabel Tainter Center for the Arts (205 Main St. E, Menomonie). During the event, guests had the chance to view one of the murals de signs up close, learn more about the project, and vote for their favorite

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