Bound for Ivanhoe: Creating a Mural from Community History
Ivanhoe Public Library | Ivanhoe, Minnesota | 2026
How do you turn a community's history into a single piece of artwork?
Bound for Ivanhoe began with that question.
I'm working with the Ivanhoe Public Library to create an original mural inspired by the people, places, architecture, and transportation that have shaped Ivanhoe, Minnesota. Rather than reproducing a single historic photograph, the mural brings together details gathered from many historical sources to create a new composition rooted in the community's past.
Beginning with the Archives
The process started with research.
Historic photographs have become an essential part of developing the mural. I'm studying buildings, storefronts, streets, trains, vehicles, clothing, and the smaller details of everyday life that help establish a sense of place.
Some photographs provide an entire building. Others might give me only a vehicle, a person, an architectural detail, or a different view of a familiar location.
Together, those fragments begin to build a visual picture of Ivanhoe.
From History to Composition
At more than 18 feet wide, the finished mural requires a composition that can carry the viewer across a long stretch of wall while still allowing individual moments to be discovered up close.
The train serves as a central visual element, surrounded by architecture, transportation, and figures drawn from historical references.
This isn't intended to be a photographic reconstruction of one particular day in Ivanhoe. I'm using the historical material as visual evidence and then interpreting those references through drawing and composition.
Drawing It by Hand
Although the completed mural will ultimately be digitally assembled and professionally produced, its imagery begins physically in my studio.
I'm creating the individual elements using charcoal, working from the historical references I've collected during the research process.
Working this way allows the finished mural to retain the marks, textures, imperfections, and atmosphere of a hand-drawn piece.
From Paper to an 18-Foot Wall
Once an original drawing is complete, it is photographed at high resolution and brought into the larger digital composition.
The process moves from:
Historical research → Original drawing → High-resolution photography → Digital composition → Production → Installation
The final production files will be prepared for large-format fabrication, with AP Design handling professional fabrication and installation at the Ivanhoe Public Library.
The result will be a mural that begins with small pieces of artwork made by hand and ultimately stretches approximately 18'4" across the library wall.
Inviting the Community Into the Process
An important part of Bound for Ivanhoe is creating an opportunity for the community to encounter the project before it is finished.
On September 28, I shared the developing mural, historical references, and original artwork during an Artist Talk at the Ivanhoe Public Library. Community members had an opportunity to see how the mural is being created, ask questions, identify familiar places, and share memories and stories connected to Ivanhoe's history.
These conversations are another form of research, and an opportunity to document the connections people still have to the places represented in these photographs.
Work in Progress
Bound for Ivanhoe is currently in the artwork and design-development stage.
I'll continue sharing pieces of the process here as individual drawings are completed, the larger composition develops, and the project moves toward final production and installation.
Next: Original artwork → Final composition → Library review → Fabrication & installation → Public Open House
