This summer, White Bear Center for the Arts collaborated with celebrated public artist and WBCA teaching artist Jessica Turtle to create a community-driven mural installation.

It’s in the name, but you wouldn’t believe the connections made over a community mural. Over the course of five days, Jessica was joined by over 100 people to paint on WBCA’s 14 x 43 foot, east-facing wall. The motley crew included artists, students, WBCA staff members, board members, writers, and even a group of morticians. 

On the first day, WBCA visitor Randy joined in on the fun. He had been viewing WBCA’s exhibitions with his mother in early September when he spotted Jessica gridding out the mural. After inquiring at the front desk, he stopped by on the first day of painting sessions and even brought his own ladder. Much of the water lily on the mural can be attributed to him. He painted for over 4 hours.

It’s for reasons like this that Jessica is drawn to community murals versus painting alone. “It makes it much less hollow,” she said. Though she identifies as a true introvert, the aspect of connecting with people through a community project feels fulfilling to her. “It restores my confidence, how easily so many different people can come together to work on something.”

The mural, which she calls a “montage mural,” is essentially a collage of images submitted by members of the WBCA community. The prompt went like this: “As you walk around White Bear Lake, stop and take a look. What do you see that celebrates art, inspires creativity, or connects people?” Over 130 photos were submitted of art center memories, White Bear Lake landmarks, and people making art. 

From those images, Jessica created a design full of color, movement, and creativity suited for an art center. “As a community art center, the exterior of our building should reflect the vibrant, creative work that’s happening inside,” Creative Services Director Sara Nephew said. “We wanted a mural that tells our story — one that embodies the range of mediums we offer, and the energy and heart that defines WBCA.”

How does Jessica coalesce over a hundred photographs to create a unifying image? “I never really know how I do it,” she laughs. She set out to design an intentional communal space centered on creativity and connection. The mural features art in the form of dancers, a sketchbook, and a paint palette. It’s also peppered with elements of nature essential to the White Bear Lake community.

For Jessica, the call for art has always been there. She’s been making murals from a very young age, starting at the age of 12 when she painted a mural in her closet. She was always drawn to large-scale projects, but with an interest in ecological awareness, she couldn’t get over the lack of sustainability in fine arts. She was caught up with the feeling that she was always just producing more. With a community mural, you’re working on an existing structure. “I’m not adding anything and it’s being used for a bigger purpose,” she said.

Her mission aligned perfectly with what WBCA was looking for when searching for artists. “Jessica was the perfect choice for this project, not only because of her past involvement as a teaching artist [at WBCA], but also because of her impressive mural work and her leadership in public art, community engagement, and activism,” Sara says. “We’ve admired her work repeatedly and knew she would bring the community’s vision to life.”

Next time you spot a community project of any kind, don’t hesitate to approach it. “People are always cautious but anyone can do it,” Jessica says. Whether you have experience or not, be a part of something bigger.