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City moves forward with selected artist for Menominee Park Zoo murals
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Summary
Discover Oshkosh and city staff selected muralist Jake Reeder to paint a cohesive, animal‑themed color palette across several Menominee Park Zoo buildings; the project is planned for this fall if city permissions and weather permit.
City staff and partners on Aug. 11 updated the Oshkosh Advisory Parks Board on plans to paint murals across multiple buildings at Menominee Park Zoo and reported a finalist artist has been selected.
Greg Wright, a consultant working with Discover Oshkosh and Sparktowns, told the board a seven‑member community selection committee reviewed 16 applications and narrowed the field to three finalists before recommending Jake Reeder, a graphic designer and muralist based in the Quad Cities. “He had this concept of pulling together in the same color scheme, murals, badges, interactive displays, and other artistic elements,” Wright said.
The proposal covers multiple zoo structures, including the Lakefly Café and entrance building, the husbandry/service building, the otter and eagle exhibit areas and other visitor elements. Wright said the aim is to create a unified visual theme that complements recent and planned park investments and helps the zoo feel more cohesive without building new structures.
Board members asked about materials, longevity and schedule; Wright and staff said the murals will be painted directly on building surfaces rather than wrapped and that durable exterior paint should provide 20 to 30 years of service before major repainting. The partners said the project still requires one more city permission before work can begin, and they hope to complete as much painting as weather allows before an approximate Oct. 15 cutoff; remaining work would be finished next spring if needed.
Parks staff and Discover Oshkosh representatives emphasized the private–public partnership element: donors and community foundation partners have already committed funding for related park improvements, and the mural project is intended to complement those investments.
No formal board vote was recorded on Aug. 11; staff said they were seeking the board’s input and would proceed once final city permissions are granted.
