Woodbury brings museum-quality art to public spaces
The Woodbury City Council discussed an ongoing public art project that will install murals and mosaics in civic buildings across the city. The initiative aims to make high-quality art accessible to all residents by featuring nature-inspired designs in community gathering spaces.
Woodbury is moving forward with an ambitious public art installation project designed to bring museum-quality artwork into everyday civic spaces. The project includes murals for Lookout Ridge, an indoor play area in the city, and a feature mosaic wall for Central Park.
The artistic vision centers on immersing visitors—particularly children—in a "river valley" experience inspired by the natural landscape of the Saint Croix River valley. The murals will reflect this regional theme, while a durable oak tree mosaic wall will serve as a focal point in Central Park, celebrating local nature and heritage.
Mercury Mosaics, a specialized studio, is handling the technical work of translating paintings into mosaic installations. According to the project discussion, this approach ensures the artwork will be both visually striking and built to last in public settings.
The council emphasized that this project challenges the perception of art as something exclusive or elitist. By placing museum-quality pieces in public buildings accessible to all generations, the city aims to democratize art appreciation and create welcoming environments that reflect community values. The installations in civic spaces like Central Park and Lookout Ridge will ensure that residents of all ages and backgrounds can experience professional artwork as part of their daily lives.
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Source document
[0:26] I'm painting
[0:26] murals for Woodbury.
[0:28] In particular for the indoor
play area called Lookout Ridge.
[0:32] So the idea is
that when kids are climbing
[0:35] the playground equipment,
they'll be
[0:37] climbing up on a ridge
and getting a view and feeling
[0:40] like they're in the river
valley.
[0:45] These paintings
I'm hoping to have finished
[0:46] at the end of the summer.
[0:47] We'll scan them, blow them up
bigger
[0:50] on printed vinyl material and
install them at Central Park.
[0:55] I hope that the kids who are
playing in the playground
[0:57] really get a sense of that
[0:59] they're climbing up these bluffs
in the Saint Croix River valley.
[1:02] As you're climbing
up, things change
[1:04] and then you have these
nice views.
[1:06] So I hope the
kids get that sensibility.
[1:22] I'm super excited
to be here at Mercury Mosaics,
[1:24] seeing how my ideas of my
paintings are being translated
[1:28] into these amazing mosaics
that they're making.
[1:38] Both of these are giant walls
[1:40] that are going to be at Central
Park.
[1:42] One is a feature wall
[1:43] that is of oak trees,
and it was purposely selected
[1:47] because we really wanted
to reflect the trees
[1:49] of the Woodbury area.
[1:50] And I'm a huge tree fan,
[1:52] so it was a really
[1:53] great experience to have
a little piece of Biophilia
[1:57] put into there
and have it be done in tile
[2:00] so that it can really hold up
for a long period of time.
[2:15] Hi. We're here at Central Park
and the mural is done now,
[2:18] so I'm going to go get to see it
for the first time.
[2:20] Let's go check it out.
[2:29] Oh, that is so awesome.
[2:32] Oh, I love how they wrapped
the corner too.
[2:35] It's fantastic. Wow.
[2:39] Oh, that is so cool.
[2:44] Oh, man. God,
they did a good job.
[2:47] Really good job.
[2:49] It's fun to get to touch it.
[2:51] I just love the idea of, like,
how all of these things
[2:55] came together to make
this happen.
[2:57] You know, when it's smaller
and you blow it up
[2:59] three and a half times bigger,
[3:01] you know what's going to happen
with that detail?
[3:03] It's even better.
[3:07] Anything I'm
[3:08] making, I'm putting a certain
amount of energy into them.
[3:11] And then people respond
and add in their own thoughts
[3:14] and feelings and energy
into that object as well.
[3:17] And then over time,
it becomes something more.
[3:22] I think art
too many times is perceived
[3:24] as being really elitist
and not having
[3:26] a general audience
and having these civic buildings
[3:29] have this kind of real
investment that is of a museum
[3:32] quality is really key to all the
generations that come forward.
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