A striking and colorful new full wall mural now graces the northern gateway to downtown St. Joseph’s central business district thanks to a joint commission partnership crafted between Holt Bosse and St. Joseph Today. If you approach the district from the north at the St. Joseph River you will be greeted by the massive project in the 100 block of State Street downtown.
The new permanent interactive mural on the wall of the Holt Bosse building is another in the mural project series first launched by St. Joseph today last year in the lead up to the 2018 version of Chalk the Block when they commissioned a permanent mural on the back of their own downtown Welcome Center building. The organization continued the effort with a temporary mural installed this past summer on the bluff stairs. Both of those pieces were commissioned and painted by Houston, Texas-based artist Anat Ronen. Amy Zapal, Executive Director of St. Joseph Today says, “They were both well received and we immediately started planning for the next mural.”
Zapal says this time around they partnered with Minneapolis-based artist Shawn McCann, and adds, “We were very excited to work with Holt Bosse to continue the mural project in downtown St. Joseph. This latest addition is an interactive piece that engages the community. It’s located in the 100 block of State Street which continues to expand the footprint of downtown.”
St. Joseph Today plans to continue the ongoing mural project next spring, noting, “We were fortunate enough to sneak in one more mural this fall. Projects will continue in the spring, weather permitting.”
Zapal says that the three murals have sparked a lot of interest for future permanent murals, and tells us, “A handful of private property owners have expressed interest and support for the ongoing mural project. We plan to continue through a variety of partnerships and with the help of local and regional artists.”
Zapal offers up a special thanks to the St. Joseph Improvement Association, Mike Pantelleria of Pantelleria Construction Services for their in-kind donation of the lift, Sherwin Williams for their in-kind donation of paint, additional community supporters for their sponsorship and partnership, and community members who helped coordinate resources and host artists.
