Lanesboro makes a statement with new mural

As a town known for its arts and culture, Lanesboro has now made a large statement in the form of a colorful Theatre District Mural.

The mural, located at the corner of O’Koren Law Office, 204 Parkway Ave. N., was a collaborative effort between Lanesboro Arts and Commonweal Theatre, who partnered with Joe O’Koren who owns the building.

Lanesboro Arts and Commonweal Theatre worked together on a community mural in 2019 which celebrated the performing arts in Lanesboro.  While the mural showcases the Commonweal Theatre and the St. Mane theatres located in Lanesboro, it also intertwines the history of the support for the arts in Lanesboro.

Ideas for what the mural should look like came in May 2019, when over 200 local residents got together and discussed what they thought would be important to include in the mural. Pictures were drawn of ideas and submitted along with other important images they wanted depicted in the mural.

Lanesboro Arts then commissioned St. Paul artist Erik Pearson to compile all of the ideas from the community members and create a design suitable for the theatre district in Lanesboro.

Lanesboro Heritage Preservation Commission and the Lanesboro Planning and Zoning Commission approved Pearson’s design, moving the project forward.

In October 2019, community members painted the design on parachute cloth, which is similar to canvas. That canvas would then be adhered to the building in a process similar to wallpapering. Painting on old brick can cause erosion, causing damage to the building, while installing the mural in this way will also maintain the quality of the mural for a longer period of time.

“It was such a meaningful experience, to be able to tangibly see the community not only get excited about this new piece of public art, but get directly involved in the creation of it,” states Melissa Wray, program director at Lanesboro Arts. “We had a lot of people come through and help, and it was a very fun process,” states Pearson.

The paint used for the mural was received through Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation’s “Paint the Town” grant program. 

Plans to install the mural in 2020 were postponed as the weather became too cold and then the pandemic changed plans again.

After Lanesboro Arts obtained reapproval from both commissions, installation was planned for the spring of 2023.

As the first Artist in Residence at Lanesboro Arts in 2001, Pearson worked to bring art to the community in various ways.  In 2005 he was invited to Lanesboro to create his very first mural on a safety wall. Pearson has continued to create a name for himself, working within communities to create public art that inspires people.

“The mural installation would not have been possible without the installation expertise of artist Xena Goldman from the Twin Cities, and the many Lanesboro Arts staff and community members who jumped in to help out during installation. Special thanks also to building owner, O’Koren Law Office, for working with us on this project.  It’s a joy to see this vibrant work of art peeking out by the theaters on Parkway Avenue!” noted the collaborators on the project.

The installation process is memorable for all involved, including Wray. She says it was fun getting up on the wall with Pearson, Goldman and fellow Lanesboro Arts staff. “Being able to see their process up close and to see this mural come together section by section was such an incredibly rewarding experience,” she explains.

“The installation process was wonderful, it was so fun and so exciting to see it actually come back to life,” says Pearson.  “It was great to people in the community stop by and be excited about the project as well.” Pearson was especially happy about all the kids that got involved or walked by and gave positive comments.  “Just to kind of plant that into the minds of kids that these things can exist and maybe should exist is a great thing to accomplish,” he adds.

“Everyone at Lanesboro Arts was incredible helping us, that made it fun too,” notes Pearson.

The design of the mural includes things that represent the history of Lanesboro through “nature, agriculture, townspeople, cultural and generational diversity, and more,” according to those at Lanesboro Arts.

Those voicing their opinions wanted the mural to be “bright, welcoming, inspiring, and colorful.” Pearson has represented both real people from the community as well as fictional people in the mural.

The mural design explained by collaborators:

“In the design, the two far left characters are on a stage. The six people to the right of them are in the audience. Then the two people on the far right are on the balcony. On the stage the fairy in the top left represents “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” which was Commonweal’s first play performed in 1989 and she’s holding the actual window of the building like a lantern. The lantern represents the ‘ghost light’ left on when the theatres are not in use.  The fairy is wearing a dress with an agricultural pattern.  The next character down represents a musician, St. Mane Theatre hosts both professional and community-based musical performers.

In the audience, the character with the broom represents Robert Greer, one of the first businessmen and Lanesboro’s first mayor.  The woman above Mr. Greer represents one of the switchboard phone operators in town, and the phone line travels to each character ending on stage plugged into the guitar.  The other characters represent average community members throughout time, including a farmer, a casually dressed male, a historically dressed woman, and a young child.  There are also some fun details such as marquee lights in the background, a Commonweal Theatre logo on a program, and a ticket stub in a shirt pocket with details of a Lanesboro Community Theatre and Over the Back Fence ticket.

There’s a physical break of a telephone pole, then the next small section depicting the balcony contains the piano accompanist of the Elite Theatre (St. Mane).  The venue in the early 1900s showcased silent films.  Behind the accompanist is the writer, the person behind the scenes writing scripts and the music.  On the typed out piece of paper there is a tribute to the date Lanesboro was founded.”

After a week of hard work by those involved in the installation of the mural, a ribbon cutting took place on Saturday, May 27, 2023, at the mural site, with many people in attendance to celebrate. 

“Lanesboro is a wonderful community – it’s so supportive.  It’s sort of this magical place that is fun to visit and feel like you are part of the community while you are there, it’s very welcoming. I’ve made really good friends there so it’s also nice to come back and see old friends.  It feels like a second home to me,” states Pearson.

Lanesboro Arts and Commonweal Theatre’s goals for the new public art mural are “to encourage walkability to the north side of Parkway Avenue, create a sense of community pride, and build collaborative efforts to beautify the community,” according to media releases, and the mural seems to have hit the mark on all three of these goals.