Mural adds color, character to downtown Monona
Artist Shawna (Converse) McLeod has painted the finishing touches on a nature-inspired design on the side of the EXIT Realty Driftless Group building at the corner of Main and Iowa streets, in Monona. (Photo by Audrey Posten)
A lift from Hankes Garage Doors helped artist Shawna McLeod complete the mural over the past two weeks. Building owner Ali Werger said the mural “adds color, character and pride to our entire hometown.” (Photo courtesy of Ali Werger)
By Audrey Posten | Times-Register
Monona’s first mural is complete. Artist Shawna (Converse) McLeod painted the finishing touches on a nature-inspired design on the side of the EXIT Realty Driftless Group building at the corner of Main and Iowa streets on Monday.
It was the culmination of a two-week process, but also a long-time goal for the city and Monona Chamber and Economic Development (MCED). The two entities helped fund the mural in partnership with building owner Ali Werger.
Werger was excited to offer her building for what she hopes will be the first of multiple murals in the community.
“I had always planned to do one. I had the building painted last year for a good base.” At a four-way intersection, she called the building a “perfect location. It’s a focal point with a constant flow of traffic.”
Werger is an MCED board member, and when the organization voted to contribute toward the project, she agreed the content could be more Monona specific.
“Otherwise I probably would have done something more real estate specific,” she said.
Werger spent the past year researching mural ideas and potential artists, eventually selecting McLeod, a native of the area and an art teacher who also paints murals through McLeod Paint & Design.
McCleod last summer completed the mural on the side of the historic Marquette schoolhouse building—what’s being redeveloped as the Driftless Station—and this spring re-painted Marquette’s city entrance sign.
“I love that she’s a local artist, and I love her work,” Werger said. “This was absolutely meant for her.”
McLeod’s work is often influenced by nature and being outside, and that’s reflected in the mural for Monona—the “Garden City of Iowa.” Pink and purple flowers pop off the building’s dark background. The center of the mural features white-edged leaves and flowers and a nine-foot-tall butterfly, an homage to Monona’s Butterfly Gardens and Trail.
Werger said she and others were inspired by the iconic Nashville “wings.”
“Then, we thought maybe butterfly wings for Monona. You can actually take a picture with it,” she shared.
Another focal point of the mural is the white-lettered phrase “You’ll Like Monona.” Werger said the saying comes from a long-time sign along Highway 18, outside Monona.
“It was there for years. When we were in high school, we even had T-shirts joking about it,” she recalled. “We said, ‘Why don’t we do that?’ We’re bringing it back.”
The finished mural doesn’t just brighten up the building, Werger noted. “It adds color, character and pride to our entire hometown.”
The immediate response has been overwhelmingly positive. She hopes other building owners will consider murals too.
“You always hope it can inspire other projects,” she reflected.
