From June 24–28, downtown Menomonie was transformed. More than 200 volunteer artists descended on the city for the Walldogs “Murals in Menomonie” festival, leaving behind 15 breathtaking, large-scale murals that bring the town’s history to life on its own buildings. If you haven’t wandered downtown to see them yet, put it on your list. Each mural was carefully researched to capture a piece of Menomonie’s story — its people, its industries, its landmarks — so that residents and visitors alike can read the town’s history simply by walking its streets.
It was five days of transformation: local volunteers, business owners, and artists from across the country working side by side, turning blank walls into a shared community project. Museum-quality, hand-painted work went up directly on Main Street — no admission ticket required, no gallery walls, just history made visible to anyone walking by.
But the festival was never the finish line. It was the beginning of a much longer commitment — one that the Community Foundation of Dunn County is now stepping forward to carry.
THE FUND THAT HELPED MAKE IT POSSIBLE
The Murals in Menomonie Fund, held here at the Community Foundation of Dunn County, helped make the festival itself possible — covering costs for artists, materials, and logistics during that whirlwind week in June. Now that the murals are up, the fund’s mission is shifting. It’s moving from funding the event to funding its future.
Fifteen large-scale outdoor murals don’t take care of themselves. Wisconsin weather, UV exposure, and simple time will all take a toll on painted brick and metal. Cleaning, repair, and preservation are not one-time costs — they’re an ongoing responsibility, one that will stretch across decades if these murals are going to remain the vibrant landmark they are today.
That’s exactly what this fund is built for. As a permanent fund, it’s designed to generate support year after year, so the murals don’t quietly fade the way so much public art eventually does. Instead, this collection is meant to still be turning heads — and still telling Menomonie’s story — long after everyone who picked up a paintbrush this June has moved on to other projects.
WHY A PERMANENT GALLEY IS WORTH PROTECTING
Downtown Menomonie (and Ridgeland and Boyceville) is now home to a permanent outdoor gallery — the kind of landmark that will draw day-trippers and art enthusiasts for years to come. Local hotels, restaurants, and shops already felt the boost during festival week, and the murals themselves are set to keep foot traffic — and local pride — flowing for seasons ahead.
That’s the case for maintaining them: this isn’t just decoration on the sides of buildings. It’s a piece of shared civic identity, an economic asset for downtown, and a way for residents to feel proud of where they’re from, every single time they walk past one.
Every mural tells a real piece of Menomonie’s history, giving residents a renewed sense of pride in where they’re from and giving visitors a reason to ask questions about it. Losing that to weather and neglect would mean losing more than paint. It would mean losing the story.
HOW YOU CAN HELP
Supporting the Murals in Menomonie Fund is a way to protect this investment for the long haul. Because it’s structured as a permanent endowment, contributions don’t just cover one repair, they help build a lasting source of care that the murals can draw on for generations.
If you’d like to contribute, you can give directly to the fund through our online donation portal by clicking the button below.
And if you haven’t yet made the trip downtown to see the murals in person, that’s the best place to start — walk the streets, find all 15, and see firsthand exactly what this fund is working to protect.
Visit exploremenomonie.com/murals-in-menomonie to plan your own walking tour of Menomonie’s newest outdoor museum.