A new mural in Ellsworth’s East End has turned a blank, white wall into a natural, rural landscape complete with an interactive canoe photo opportunity. The mural was finished last week, just in time for thousands of visitors to descend during Cheese Curd Festival.

The mural features towering pines, fish and a fisherman, complete with a canoe people can sit in, in front of a sunset-inspired backdrop.

“The idea and design for the new mural was a group effort from the E-Town Arts Committee,” said Kayleen Jakes, a member of the committee and owner of Brush Strokes Art Supply. “This group of dedicated volunteers has been developing ideas for the last couple of years. The idea behind the theme of this mural is to highlight the beauty in the natural, rural landscape we have in our Ellsworth area.”

The mural is the third completed work in the Ellsworth Mural Walk, joining an interactive bubble mural by Ellsworth High School graduate Dawson Peters, and a mural celebrating Ellsworth by world-renowned artist Greg Gossel (who lives in Trimbelle).

In all, the mural walk will contain at least seven pieces throughout the East End Business District.

Jakes said the goal of the mural is to put a smile on residents’ and tourists’ faces. However, there is a bigger picture.

“To continue to develop the East End area into an arts district that can focus on offering positive art pieces, goods and services to residence and tourists,” Jakes said. “There is a revitalization effort that is happening here and we hope it continues to improve every single year. We love offering big, bold, beautiful murals on the Ellsworth Mural Walk to encourage residents and visitors to take the time to walk around and enjoy what our town has to offer.”

The hope is to also spark new business interest to fill vacant buildings in the area, making it a busy area once again. Other communities in Wisconsin known for their murals are Ashland and Wittenberg, both of which have hundreds of visitors per year.

E-Town Arts plans to continue fundraising for its next mural, with hopes to have it completed by the end of 2023. The next building location has been chosen and a base idea has formed for the mural.

“We will be putting up a ‘USA Strong’ themed mural,” Jakes said. “After this mural is complete, we will have three other buildings to apply murals to on the Mural Walk. There may be more if we continue to get building owner permission as well.”

E-Town Arts is always fundraising for its next project and looking for volunteers.

“Any help is always appreciated and we can always use extra hands when prepping and priming walls for painting,” Jakes said.

E-Town Arts would like to thank Mayo Clinic Health System, Comfort By Design Inc., Ellsworth Community School District, Waltz Ace Hardware, Brenner Lumber LLC, Brush Strokes Art Supply and Ellsworth E3 Community Development Corporation for their donations of time, volunteers and support.

“And finally, the E-Town Arts Committee and all the amazing volunteers painters who gave up their time to bring this project to life,” Jakes said. “It would not have come together so perfectly without all the kids, adults and families of Ellsworth who came out to make their mark on this mural. We appreciate you all so very much!”

The group’s next fundraiser is Tubing for the Arts, which will be held at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, July 22. People can tube down the Rush River with family and friends for a great cause. The group will leave from A&J Properties campsite at County Road A and Highway 10. Watch the event on Facebook for event details. Rain date is July 23.

People can also donate to the Mural Walk efforts online at ellsworthe3.square.site The next E-Town Arts Committee meeting is July 5 at E-Town Collaborative; it’s open to anyone interested in joining.