State Street Arts Initiative

We Want Your Input

In 2022, the City of St. Croix Falls’ Parks Arts and Trails Commission (PAT) re-formed an Arts Committee to explore more options for public art in St. Croix Falls. Our most significant accomplishment to date is the first iteration of the State Street Arts Initiative – a project to cover the parking structure on State Street in artwork. This open-call process requested proposals from artists for our cornerstone mural project. As a Co-Chair of the Arts Committee, I wrote and distributed a study to learn public opinion on the desired role of public art in St. Croix Falls. We distributed the study via social channels and printed a QR code to the study on resident’s quarterly water bill. The Arts Committee used this survey data to design the requirements for the mural proposals and the selection process.

The Proposal Process

The PAT Arts Committee received an overwhelming response, with over 25 mural proposals from local and national artists. Each proposal was scored and assessed by a jury of five arts community members, and then five finalists were provided to the Mayor and City Council.

A Postcard From St. Croix Falls

 After careful consideration and presentations by the top three finalists, Taylor Shaw, also known as Lazer Chef, a commercial muralist from Mississippi, was awarded the job. Shaw utilizes a “fusion of retro aesthetics and contemporary storytelling ensures that each mural not only beautifies spaces but also captures the essence of the surrounding environment.” Shaw completed the 60’ x 20’ mural in a little over a week. Luckily, with few rain delays. This first interaction of the State Street Arts Initiative allowed the Arts Committee to design an equitable, easily repeatable process for procuring more public art for the City of St. Croix Falls in the future.