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Muralist Irineo Medina brings a little love to Wisconsin Avenue

Photography by Dave Compton Wolff

“It was right after the weekend that the police shooting happened in Dallas and there were five deaths in one weekend. I was sitting at my desk thinking, ‘What do we need right now?’ The different skin colors reflect that we all just need a little love; it doesn’t matter what ethnicity or race you are.
I feel like now with everything that’s happening in the United States, we just need to embrace each other. Art, especially public art, is a good vehicle to uplift your community.”

— 25-year-old Irineo Medina, a muralist and Fox Communities Credit Union employee,
shares his inspiration behind his mural at 230 E. Wisconsin Avenue in Appleton.

“The experience was surreal. The first day when people would drive or stop by, I was really feeling the love and support from the community. For the first time, Appleton felt like my home. Appleton instantly became part of my story. Just all of it was so much positivity and love, and that’s exactly what
I was hoping the piece would do.”

— Medina, an Appleton resident of a year and a half.

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Making a Mural

Business Marketing Officer Heather Wessley, of mural sponsor Fox Communities Credit Union, explains the steps her committee took to develop this mural which was created with support from Sherwin-Williams, Jack’s Maintenance Service and Pulse Young Professionals Network.

1. Find an artist. Irineo had approached our marketing department about supporting a mural and we had a similar project in the works, so the timing was perfect. We loved the idea of working with a member of our Fox Communities Credit Union family.

2. Develop a mock-up. As a committee, we identified several concepts that we wanted the mural to include, like showcasing diversity and highlighting the history of Wisconsin Avenue. Then we asked Irineo what he wanted to do and he developed the final design from there.

3. Determine the location. We had a couple locations on Wisconsin Avenue that we pursued, but they fell through. Eventually we connected with the building owner of 230 E. Wisconsin Avenue who loved the idea and helped us get the information we needed for the permit quickly.

4. Get the permit. We worked with the City of Appleton to get the logistics, like size and measurements, pinned down. They loved the idea of having it done on Wisconsin Avenue. The permit was all done electronically which was convenient.

5. Paint. Irineo is very passionate about this project. He painted through the night to make sure he would be able to finish it and people could see it in progress during Bazaar After Dark [a Pulse Young Professionals event held along Wisconsin Avenue on September 28.].

—FC

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