Blaze your own trail

Backside of the Mitchell Square Building. 836 Main St. Stevens Point, WI. Near Sunset Winery and Midstate Tech College. 

• Building is owned by Noah Eschenbauch, a realtor in Stevens Point. Thank You!

CREATE's Paint the County!  installed new public art that respond to this unique moment in history. Inspired by WPA-style New Deal programming of the Great Depression, this project aims to provide artists access to revenue streams during COVID-19, make space for underrepresented voices to be more visible in our community, draw people to new, important, or under-activated spaces, and spread our  creative identity to all parts of Portage County. 

This mural is part of a partnership with the Women’s Suffrage Centennial Commission, the National Endowment for the Arts, Arts Midwest, and the Wisconsin Arts Board that celebrates the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment through murals that incorporate inspirational quotations authored by women from marginalized backgrounds, adding vibrant and meaningful public art that honors these unique locations.

• Jessie Fritsch is the artist and designer.
• Jessie's Art Sisters helped with design details and painting of mural. 
• Community helpers assisted with the painting of the background. 

CREATE,  the City of Stevens Point, and mural committee wanted to honor RBG and  her quote "Women belong in all places where decisions are being made" on  this wall. Grants were given to celebrate the Women Suffrage  Centennial. 

 My design was just chosen by the mural committee. I then got my art sisters together and made it happen. 

I started the mural planning process almost a year ago. There was  research, brainstorming, sketches, drawings, design layouts, and  figuring out the logistics of painting a 30' by 24' Wall. 

The painting of the mural took 37 days. There were 4 rain days. 2 complete exhaustion days. 

Start Date Monday, August 23, 2021 

Finished Date: Tuesday, September 28, 2021

We decided not to use the anti-graffiti sealant. After talking to many mural artists we decided  that due to the over lack of protection from vandalism and yellowing over time was not worth it applying. 

Protection...

• There are multiple security cameras on the mural.
• The use of temperature extremes exterior paint from Sherwin Williams. 
• Faith in people...