As communities across the country prepare to mark America's 250th anniversary, many are taking a closer look at how history, industry and culture shape the places they call home. In Menomonie, UW-Stout Polytechnic alumni Megan McDowell '25 and Lin Boland '25 and current student Lily '27 are helping tell those stories through Murals in Menomonie, a community art initiative led by UW-Stout Polytechnic alumnus and 2024 Luminary Alumni Award winner Wade Lambrigtsen '00. Together, they are using public art to celebrate local history, strengthen community pride and create spaces that invite people to connect.
Lambrigtsen believes public art does more than beautify a space. "It's about community pride,” he said. “These murals tell the story of Menomonie and celebrate the people, industries and events that shaped our community. We have such a rich history and bringing it to life through art is something everyone can experience. It also brings people downtown to explore, support local businesses and see our community in a new way."
UW-Stout Polytechnic alumni Megan McDowell ’25 and Lin Boland ’25 and current student Lily ’27 are artists who returned to participate in Murals in Menomonie. All three artists participated in the 2024 murals course at UW-Stout Polytechnic, taught by Lambrigtsen and professor Cynthia Bland. Their class collaborated on a campus mural that introduced the students to the importance, significance and impact of public art.
McDowell, an animation graduate now working as a freelance illustrator and animator, says that experience expanded how she understands storytelling beyond digital media. She returned to participate in Murals in Menomonie to continue developing her mural work and collaborating with other artists. “I hope the murals make people stop, smile and feel connected to where they are,” she said. “It’s about taking stories that live in a place and making them visible in everyday life.”
As a future art educator, Lily hopes to make creativity accessible to every student while using public art to strengthen connections between people and place. She returned to contribute to new mural work that invites public engagement and highlights local identity, and was on the team that painted the mural on the UW-Stout Polytechnic administration building. “Art should be something everyone can access,” she said. “Murals give people a way to see themselves in the story of their community.”
Boland ’25 is now an elementary art teacher in Altoona, where her mural experience continues to shape her classroom practice. Her participation in the 2024 mural project provided hands-on experience in collaborative public art that informs how she teaches today. “I want my students to see that their ideas matter and can exist beyond the classroom,” she said. “When they see their work in a shared space, they understand they are part of something larger.”
Together, their careers demonstrate how UW-Stout Polytechnic's applied learning model extends far beyond graduation. McDowell uses visual storytelling to help audiences see the world in new ways. Boland introduces young learners to creativity, confidence and self-expression during some of their most formative years. Lily is preparing to continue that work, using art to create spaces where students and communities alike feel seen and connected. Whether through animation, education or public art, each is helping shape the way people experience stories, creativity and the communities around them.
For Lambrigtsen, seeing his former students return as fellow artists reflects the lasting impact of UW-Stout Polytechnic's applied learning and the relationships built through public art. "Seeing former students come back as artists is incredible," Lambrigtsen said. "We have 10 former students participating this year, and watching their confidence grow has been one of the most rewarding parts. Some are now creating murals in their own communities. Seeing them take what they learned at Stout and use it to make an impact makes me incredibly proud."