Murals that Celebrate a
Community and Its People
When Minnesota artist Melodee Strong was chosen to paint a series of outdoor murals as part of the recovery efforts along Lake Street, her goals were clear.
The project, she said, is about “revitalizing not only the look of the boulevard, but the feeling and the hope of the people that live around here.”
Today, you can see the results of her work along East Lake Street. Her murals celebrate the community and its residents, with beautiful faces, bold colors, and patterns inspired by textiles and pottery from the many global cultures that enrich the neighborhood.
Strong is an award-winning illustrator, muralist, and educator whose work can be found in numerous children’s books as well as public spaces throughout the Twin Cities. A lifelong Minnesotan, she grew up in St. Francis and graduated from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design.
As a Latina artist, Strong especially valued the opportunities presented by this project to celebrate women of color. “The fact that I get to showcase women of color at such a large scale and present them in a way that has so much pride—I can’t even tell you what that means to me. I get choked up even thinking about it.”
Watch this brief video to learn more about Strong’s murals: