Alumna's murals bring beauty to community
It’s
not difficult to catch a glimpse of artwork created in downtown
Nekoosa under the direction of Nekoosa High School art teacher
Laurie Tenpas, ’97, MSE ’01. After all, her
“canvas” was the sides of two buildings.
Murals painted along the exteriors of two Market Street businesses were created through a community effort, Tenpas said, in which she was assisted by K-12 students, business owners, grants, community artists and volunteers who created glass and ceramic mosaic and painted scenes inspired by nature and Nekoosa’s history.
“We wanted something that showed our pride in our community,” she said. “By having our young people work on it, they also take pride and share their talents with their community. Youth is an important resource, and they can make a difference. So it’s a winning situation for everyone.”
Both
murals represent how many aspects of Nekoosa are connected to each
other. The first project, on the side of the Kolar Eye office
building (right), was completed in the spring of 2009 and centers on
the Ho-Chunk meaning of Nekoosa, which means “swiftwater.” The mural
features mosaic scenes that represent how the Wisconsin River flows
through Nekoosa, supporting and connecting its agriculture, nature,
wildlife and industry. It is made up of squares and a sunset, as
well as a heart filled with positive words in four languages and
surrounded by tiles featuring historic community photos.
The
second, just completed in July, shows the web of relationships that
exists between the birds, plants, animals, people and water in the
area. It features a sunrise and mosaic circles joined along the side
of the Nekoosa Floral and Gifts building. The mural then continues
onto the adjacent Swiftwater Ice Cream shop. People featured on both
buildings are likenesses of community members, including Tenpas’
grandmother and son, a high-school exchange student, the community’s
oldest resident, Joe Just, and others.
Each
of the murals took months of preparation, said Tenpas, as the high
school students created mosaics at the school to be transferred to
the walls during the warmer months. The actual painting of the
buildings required weeks of painting and more mosaic work by
volunteers of all ages. UWSP alumna and artists Dawn Olson,
’81, ME ’86 and Isabel Goetz, ’03, both of
Wisconsin Rapids, were among the volunteers.
Tenpas
encourages those looking to make a difference in the world to take a
look at their own communities.
“The world is so big and there are so many problems, so what can you do?” she said. “You start in your own backyard.”