Monticello marvels at downtown mural

     “I love it! It brings color and art to our downtown and to the community. It looks like it’s been there for years.”

   “We have heard an overwhelming response of love and appreciation for bringing color and vibrancy to a dull corner. We have seen several comments that (people) are wanting to know when the next one is coming!”

   Those reflections were shared by Jacob Oswald and Abby Manternach, respectively, members of the Monticello, IA Main Street board and its Design sub-committee.

   In January of this year, Main Street announced that they hired Beau Stanton, an artist from New York, to paint their mural on the side of The Innovation Lab at the intersection of First and Cedar streets.

   At that time, both Stanton and Main Street were reluctant to hint at what the mural might look like.

   Last fall, Stanton spent a few days in Monticello, touring the community for some inspiration.

   “There were a lot of characteristics about Monticello that appealed to me,” Stanton recalled, “particularly the older buildings. So I wanted to draw on the architectural ornamentation and weave that into the mural.”

   Stanton arrived in Monticello on April 21 and completed the mural on May 4.

   When Stanton first toured the community, Manternach shared that “he loved the small-town feel and the architectural features on our historic buildings.”

   The Design Committee then provided him with ideas they were interested in seeing included in the mural.

   “We gave him an explanation of the main funding source, of Give to Grow’s passionate roots for the community,” she added. “We sent him a ‘brain dump’ that included features of Monticello such as industrial grit, agricultural values, and local botanical. We told him we were drawn to his use of color, rays, beams, gears, flowers, plants, and mosaic/stained glass elements.”

   Before Stanton began, Robert Claussen with Claussen Painting of Monticello, put down the primer.

   “That just makes my life easier and saves me a lot of time,” Stanton said of having a coat already applied to the brick wall.

   He said it was important not to use a white primer, but a tone that was “closer to the middle versus fully dark or light.”

   After the primer went down, “the process unfolded,” offered Stanton.

   Throughout the exterior, there are various bricks that physically stick out from the wall. Stanton used those as landmark references with the grid he drew ahead of time.

   “That way everything is in proportion.”

   Throughout the mural, you can find references to Monticello’s downtown architecture, as well as the community’s strong history of industry. Stanton also paid homage to the river, flowers, and plants.

   “There are elements that represent our community, such as the base that represents layers of soil, and architectural elements from the archway of the entrance to Monticello Sports and the F&M Bank pillars,” noted Manternach.

   Oswald explained that the mural represents the different geological layers of earth. The inclusion of plant life represents the growth of the community and region.

   “All of the plants are native to Monticello and the region,” continued Oswald.

   Stanton said his idea for the mural really didn’t change all that much from his initial visit last fall until now.

   “I didn’t completely finish my design until halfway through the process to understand the view (of the wall) from the intersection and how I wanted to wrap it around the corner,” he explained. “My murals are site-specific.”

   Throughout his process, many people would stop and visit with Stanton about his work; he said he received many positive comments.

   “The feedback has been very enthusiastic. One older guy asked me if I was going to paint the whole town.”

   Stanton said in his profession, it’s unique in that the public is able to witness every stage of his work.

   “It’s very rewarding.”

   “We are very pleased with the process and completion of the first mural,” said Manternach. “We cannot thank Beau enough for the amazing work he did. We appreciate his patience and understanding as we tackled our first mural and helped us with the process along the way.”

   Main Street has a couple of other projects in the works from local artists “in regards to getting more color and vibrancy downtown,” hinted Manternach. “We are truly making Monticello the place to be!”

   This mural project would not have been possible without Monticello Main Street, Voices Studio (Sam Mulgrew) in Dubuque, Give to Grow, Jones County Community Foundation, and the Iowa Arts Council.