Latest murals will complete
St. Paul’s ‘cultural destination’ series

Latest murals will complete St. Paul’s ‘cultural destination’ series
By Jake Spitzack | Staff Writer | August 2025

The last three of seven murals commissioned to highlight St. Paul’s cultural destination areas are nearly completed, giving visitors and residents a pleasant reminder of the rich tapestry that lies beyond the towering buildings of the Capitol city.
The series was organized by St. Paul-based nonprofit Forecast Public Art and supported by a cultural STAR grant, awarded by the City of St. Paul in 2023. Artists were selected from each of the city’s seven wards to complete the murals, which are all located downtown within walking distance of one another. Events to showcase the works of art are now being planned.
The murals vary widely in design and style, and in some cases depict specific ethnicities based on the cultural area they represent. For example, the West Side (District del Sol) is commonly associated with the Latino community, Rondo and Little Africa with African American communities, and Little Mekong with Asian American culture.

“It’s exciting to have that visual representation downtown to enliven the spaces themselves, but hopefully a ripple effect then goes into those cultural destination areas and brings more people into those physical places as well,” said Forecast Public Art spokesperson Jen Krava. “The main idea behind this project is to bring visibility to those cultural destination areas and get people out exploring the city and exploring those destination areas in different ways.” She added that they’re planning to make a QR code for each mural that will link to details about the area being represented.

Forecast worked with the St. Paul Downtown Alliance and building owners to find fitting spots for the murals. Each was made to last, using vibrant, durable materials and covered in a protective layer to protect them from the elements and graffiti. Additionally, a maintenance plan was submitted for each. The largest mural is on the parking ramp to the Intercontinental Hotel, and two are made of semi-transparent vinyl and located in skyway windows. One is made of painted panels attached to the building. Each artist and one artist-duo received $15,000 for their project.

The murals, their artist, associated cultural area and location are:
“Past, Present, and Future Victories,” by Briauna Williams (Shepard Davern), located at Victory Parking Ramp, 344 Wabasha St. N.

“Somos Libre (We Are Free),” by Cadex Herrera (District del Sol), located at the parking ramp to the Intercontinental Hotel, 11 E. Kellogg Blvd.

Multiple titles for different parts of one mural, by Jordan Hamilton and Bayou Bay (Rondo), located at the Skyway bridge between the City Hall Annex and the Ramsey County Courthouse, 12 W. 4th St. Titles are: “Ancestral Resources and Rondo is more,” “Hallie Q. Brown and Media,” “Inner City Youth League,” “Katie McWatt,” “Penumbra & Poem,” “Piece by Piece Quilt Shop,” “Rondo Culture & Cosmos” and “The Photographer & Credjafawn.”

“Journey Through the Generations,” by Kao Lee Tao (Little Mekong), located at the Skyway bridge over Wabasha between the Children’s Museum and Wells Fargo Place, 437 Wabasha St. N.

“Little Africa,” by Milkessa (Little Africa), located at Ramsey County Public Health Building, 555 Cedar St.

“Near East Side,” by Thomasina TopBear (Near East Side), located at Grace Building, 421 Wabasha St. N.

“North End,” by Wes Winship (North End), located at Osborne parking ramp, 370 Wabasha St. N.

Details regarding events to showcase the murals were not available as of press time but may include a mural tour, artist meet-and-greet, and similar events.

The mural project meshes with other investments the city is making in its most popular areas. Most recently it created the Commerical Corridor Organization Assistance Program, which awards funding to designated groups proposing projects in commercial corridors that spur economic development such as corridor-wide beautification, public art installations, business sub-grants, hosting community events that celebrate and showcase the corridor, and corridor marketing campaigns.

“They’re [murals] very beautiful and evocative of the different spaces they’re representing,” said downtown mural project manager Boo McCaleb. “I’m proud to support artists doing this work and the diversity and completion of new public art because public art is still very much emerging in Minnesota. St. Paul deserves this kind of attention from people who occupy it and know its history.”

Following the original announcement of the project, Forecast hosted a free one-day muralist workshop to educate artists and encourage as many as possible to apply. Three semi-finalists were eventually chosen for each wall, and each was given $1,000 to create a design proposal. The winning muralists were announced in spring 2024. Forecast Public Arts was founded in 1978 and today is involved in projects across the country. For more information on the downtown mural project, visit forecastpublicart.org/saint-paul-muralist-opportunity.

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