The following article is written by Erin LaBonte for the Rahr-West Art Forward series.
Prairie dogs, bison, turtles, porcupines, and bears, along with other local zoo favorites will be making their presence known outside of the zoo this summer. Local artists Erin LaBonte, Don Krumpos and David Carpenter will be completing a new mural on the shelter at the west end of Lincoln Park. The colorful, celebratory, and interactive mural is funded by the Lincoln Park Zoological Society.
The project began with the suggestion from community member and past mayor, Kevin Crawford, who because of his enthusiasm for the zoo and the appearance of public arts around the community saw an opportunity. The artists and Zoological Society board members agreed that the creation of the mural would be a great addition to the community and a great way to extend murals and public art outside of the downtown area, as well as a great way for the Lincoln Park Zoo to extend its presence across the park.
The location is highly visible and the painting wraps around the entirety of the shelter, transforming the space and leaving lots of room for lots of animals. Along with animals the mural highlights the Zoological Society’s very successful holiday experience, “Lights in Lincoln Park”.
“Not every community of our size has such a wonderful zoo, we are excited to celebrate it, learn more about it and add more public art to our community,” shared LaBonte who has had a major role in the organization of the project. She worked collaboratively with Don Krumpos on the design. “I met with the organization to gather their ideas, measured the wall and thought about how I would like the imagery to appear on the mural. Then I shared this work with Don and he brought the design to life, plus some.” The design includes lots of colors, design motifs and artistic styles. It is a walk around piece. Its giant peacock, as well as other elements, are fun photo opportunities. “We wanted it to look good from the road but be worth walking up to. I think it is successful in that.”
About the mural, Don says, “I’m excited about bringing my son to see the project when it is complete.”
Erin and Don worked with local artist David Carpenter on the painting. Erin shares, “David is a wonderful painter. We think about his ability during the design process and always feel confident that anything is possible with him on the team.” David painted the frogs, wolf and porcupine along with other areas of the mural. Erin and David each took on different walls to paint and eventually the designs met, completing the project.
Nicholas Port, President of the Lincoln Park Zoological Society, commented, “The Lincoln Park Zoological Society has enjoyed the opportunity to work with Erin and her team on this project. We believe this mural is a welcome addition to Lincoln Park and will serve as a fun new way to draw attention to the zoo and the community. We anticipate this to be just the beginning to many new and exciting improvements coming to the Lincoln Park Zoo in the near future and would like to thank all of the Zoological Society’s generous supporters for making this project possible.”
The Zoological Society’s mission includes education, maintaining high-quality living conditions and habitats for the animals, as well ethical practices. The Society works with the City of Manitowoc and offers many opportunities to support our local Lincoln Park Zoo. Check out the website at https://www.manitowoc.org/889/Zoological-Society to get involved.
