Public art can sometimes be taken for granted. For those who drive down Main Street through downtown River Falls on a regular basis, you might not even notice the painted utility boxes or the murals throughout town if you see them every day.

But public art adds a lot to a city, especially in a community like River Falls.

“I just think it’s fun to watch people look at it,” said Kay Fritz, Chair and President of the River Falls Community Arts Base (CAB). “A lot of people aren’t exposed to art because we don’t have a museum in River Falls. … I think we’re trying to widen people’s horizon of what art is.”

Since 2018, the City of River Falls has dedicated a small percentage of resources to public art throughout the city with multiple goals in mind. Among the objectives of the River Falls Creates initiative are to increase the enjoyment of public art by River Falls residents and to promote public interaction with public spaces.

You don’t have to look far to find examples of previous public artwork. The City and CAB have partnered together since 2015 to beautify utility boxes throughout the city and have painted 20 boxes throughout town.

In 2022, local artists Isaiah Shipp and Alex Petersen were commissioned to paint murals along the Kinnickinnic River. Shipp painted his piece on an old railroad abutment, while Petersen’s “Party Under the Bridge” mural was completed along the Kinni Trail under the Maple Street bridge.

The painting of another railroad abutment began this summer with artist Jana Young painting her mural titled “A-Lure-ing Display.”

Young, who graduated from UW-River Falls in 2020, was excited about the opportunity to have her art on display. She credits Shipp, a former classmate of hers, for encouraging her to submit her art for consideration.

Young’s mural pays homage to the prominence of fly fishing in the city. Adorning the mural are several cartoon-style images of fly fishing lures.

“Fly fishing is such a big, integral part of the city’s identity, so I thought about lures and the kind of crazy designs and the sheer artistry that goes into these lures,” Young said. “I thought since I was already a cartoonist, I could kind of anthropomorphize these, give them a lot of character, turn them into something really fun for everyone that kind of ties into the heritage of the city.”

Young’s mural – which will have to wait until early next year to be completed due to weather challenges and high water levels – was the most recent project through the City of River Falls’ Percent for Art program, which was sponsored in part by the Business Improvement District board.

In August, a new sculpture by artist Julia Sinelnikova was installed at Glen Park. The unique piece of art, titled “Light Waves,” features colorful plexiglass tiles adorned to a metal structure. The translucent tiles reflect colorful patterns onto the ground, which draws the attention of parkgoers.

The “Light Waves” sculpture was funded through the Percent for Art program, which allocates up to one percent of eligible construction costs greater than or equal to $100,000 to be used for public art.

The commitment to public art from the city is rare, says Fritz.

“I’ve lived in quite a few cities, and I don’t think a lot of cities do that,” she said. “Sure, they’d be happy if you put up a sculpture, but they aren’t going to pay for it.”

Benefits of Public Art

A 2018 case study done in Brooklyn on the building of a youth clubhouse showed that the process engaged community members and created a safe space with an improved perception of the neighborhood. A study by the Knight Foundation illustrates how public art can be a boost for tourism and generate economic activity. Public art can also serve as a marketing tool for cities and can address practical issues such as making crosswalks more visible. According to a University of Illinois at Chicago study, residents feel more attached to their neighborhoods if there is public art present.

In addition, public art projects can offer a platform for local artists to have their work seen on a larger scale. That has been the case for Young, who said painting the mural has been a great learning opportunity as she plans out the next steps of her career as an artist.

“I think it’s wonderful, because especially nowadays, it’s really hard to stand out and say, ‘Hey, this is what I can do.’ There’s so much competition out there,” Young said. “I consider myself really grateful that I live in a smaller community like this that really embraces the idea of giving more budding artists a chance to have this big project to start out with.”

An artistic future

Art continues to be an important part of the River Falls community. In addition to the increase in public art, Art on the Kinni remains a popular event in town. Held in early September every year and put on by CAB, the event features more than 70 juried artists and other activities along the Kinnickinnic River.

Art’s House, a gallery downtown River Falls, is another space for community artists to showcase their work. Managed by CAB, Art’s House offers classes for the public in addition to featuring art in the gallery.

Having UW-River Falls in town has opened the doors to more collaborations between students, graduates, and the community, including Young. The opportunity to paint her mural a few years after graduating from UWRF has not only helped connect her to the River Falls community but has also served as a springboard for her career.

“I think the piece of advice I could give to anybody thinking of getting into art or somebody who might feel inspired to try something like this in the future is that if anybody tells you that you’re doing it wrong or that your art is not right, you shouldn’t listen to them – and that includes if you’re telling yourself that,” she said. “I think if you learn to love the process and just let go of any preconceived notions of what’s right and what’s wrong and just learn and bud and grow as an artist, then it just becomes one of the most gratifying, fun, rewarding things that you can do as a person.”