Granton's Grad's Mural
Displayed on Water Tower
2021

Marshfield Water Tower Mural 2021

Kylie Ganther designed this mural on the Marshfield Utilities water tower on the south end of Marshfield.
The mural showcases different elements that make Marshfield special,
such as the Rotary Winter Wonderland lights, biking trails and beautiful recreation areas.
 Submitted photos
 

By Valorie Brecht

Kylie Ganther of the Chili area has always loved creating art. She has even won a couple contests for her artwork. However, recently she was surprised to have her artwork displayed on a much larger scale than ever before.

“I’m so grateful for the opportunity to make art and have it represent the town of Marshfield,” said Kylie.

Marshfield Utilities conducted a contest for people to design a mural that would be put on the company’s water tower along Highway 13 on the south end of Marshfield. Kylie, who is a Granton High School alumna, recently found out she won the contest.

“I was ecstatic, I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, I can’t believe I was actually chosen.’ I was very, very excited that my art was going to be on a water tower.”

Along with her design being featured, Kylie also received a $500 check as a prize. On Oct. 28, workers finished installing the mural on the tower as a giant vinyl sticker.

Kylie found out about the contest through a family member who saw it online and forwarded the link to her.

“I thought it would be a great opportunity and a fun project to do,” said Kylie.

She is a second-year graphic design student at UW-Stout, so the contest was right up her alley. There were not many guidelines for the contest, other than the design had to represent Marshfield. In crafting her design, Kylie thought about business that employed a lot of people in Marshfield, including the medical complex and the construction industry. She also thought about places people enjoyed in Marshfield, like Wildwood Park and Zoo, Upham Mansion, Jurustic Park and the World’s Largest Round Barn.

“I wanted to tie together some of the best parts of Marshfield in a type of collage. Then, as I was working on it, I had the idea of a collection of stickers and stamps put together,” she said.

Kylie used the Procreate app for artists to sketch her design and manipulate it. She worked on the design whenever she had extra time. It took her about a month to complete, with her working around a job, summer college class and Tae Kwon Do classes.  

She was not sure how many other people submitted entries in the contest, but “there are a lot of talented artists in the area, so I feel honored to have been chosen,” she said.  

Having her artwork chosen is the latest step in Kylie’s journey as an artist. Her father, Shawn Ganther, is a veteran artist whose work has appeared in shows at the Lincoln Center and Pentagon and in a permanent exhibit at the National Veterans Art Museum. So, Kylie grew up around art.

“As soon as I could hold a crayon, it was art all the time,” said Kylie.

“In early high school, I started to consider art as a job to pursue. I took a graphic design class and loved it, so I decided to pursue that. And UW-Stout has a great art and design program – it’s actually one of the best in the country,” she said.

Besides graphic design, Kylie also really enjoys creating illustrations.

“The mural is in the illustration style that I like to use. I like to use drawn elements for my graphic design work,” said Kylie.

Her ideal career would tie together graphic design and illustrations. For now, she hopes to keep growing as an artist and finding more opportunities to share her art with the community.

“I love art because it is a fun way to express yourself. In a way, it’s part of you you’re putting out to the world, so I really enjoy that aspect of it. It’s something that anyone can enjoy and appreciate.” 

Kylie Ganther 2021

Kylie Ganther graduated from the Granton High School
and is a second-year graphic design student at UW-Stout.
Her work has been featured in a big way,
as her mural design was put on a Marshfield water tower.

  

Clark County Press, Neillsville, WI

November 17, 2021

Transcribed by Dolores M. Kenyon, November 18, 2021.

Web page by James W. Sternitzky PhD, November 21, 2021. 

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