WACOSA Artists Work Hand-In-Hand With Local Painter To Create New Mural

You can’t miss it.

A bright mural, a mosaic full of color, now hangs permanently in WACOSA’s North Program area. The new artwork was made possible, in part, by award-winning local artist Dan Mondloch, as a WACOSA artist in residence through a Central Minnesota Arts Board grant.

The pieces were created by WACOSA artists, who worked with Dan to create individual acrylic paintings, each week focusing on a different color scheme, art tools and textures, with the end mural in mind.

Dan, a third-generation watercolor painter of landscapes, sorted the paintings by color, created panels out of Masonite and cedar, and went to work on his vision by cutting and pasting the paintings to create the final piece.

The Central Minnesota Arts Board grant, with a goal to engage students and enable learning in the arts, works in tandem with WACOSA’s mission – to enrich the lives of adults with disabilities.

Over nine weeks, Dan formed a close bond with the WACOSA artists.

“I looked forward to coming each week and missed the artists when I left,” he said. “And I think the artists felt the same way. I really enjoyed our time together.”

The beauty of the artwork makes that evident. “Artists’ Point – Grand Marais” and “Kraemer Lake – Wildwood County Park,” will be on permanent display in WACOSA’s North Program areas.

“I'm so proud of this piece,” Dan said of the project on his professional Facebook page. “And I didn't paint a single brush stroke on it.”

This activity is made possible in part, by a grant from the Central MN Arts Board with funds appropriated by the Minnesota State Legislature from its general fund.