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Artist selected for Menominee Park Zoo murals; painting to create cohesive color scheme and interpretive elements
Summary
A community selection committee and parks staff recommended muralist Jake Reeder to create a unified color palette and interpretive murals at Menominee Park Zoo; work is planned to begin this fall subject to final city permissions and weather.
Discover Oshkosh, park staff and community partners presented the advisory board with a recommendation to hire muralist Jake Reeder for a coordinated mural program at Menominee Park Zoo. Greg Wright, a consultant with Sparktowns working on the selection process, said the call emphasized artists who could “create a cohesive and engaging visual theme that reflects the zoo's mission, animals, and environment.”
The selection process drew 16 initial applications; a seven‑member community committee and park staff narrowed the field to three finalists and then to a recommended artist, Reeder, a graphic designer and muralist living in the Quad Cities who has work in Wisconsin and Chicago. The proposed program focuses on a consistent color palette and a set of painted murals and durable interpretive displays to make the zoo buildings read as a cohesive facility.
Planned locations discussed for mural work include the Lakefly Café and entrance, the adjacent storage and husbandry/service buildings, and exhibit facades near the otter, fox and eagle areas. Proposed elements include full‑wall graphics, interpretive badges for individual animal enclosures that could also be used for merchandise and marketing, and replacement of existing interactive displays with more durable, themed installations.
Staff told the board the work will be painted directly on building surfaces (not vinyl wraps) and that donors and partnerships—Discover Oshkosh, the Community Foundation and others—are participating in fundraising and project support. The presenter said crews will attempt to paint as much as weather allows this fall (complete‑by date constrained by the usual outdoor‑painting cutoff around mid‑October) and finish remaining work in spring if necessary. Using high‑quality exterior paints, staff expect the murals to last decades with routine maintenance; presenters estimated a 20–30 year life under current materials and techniques.
Board members praised the selection process and the proposed cohesive treatment as a low‑cost way to unify older, varied buildings and to add family‑oriented attractions. Staff said one final city permission remains before work can start and that they will proceed once that approval is obtained.
