ST. JOE TODAY COMMISSIONS A TEMPORARY MURAL FOR THE BLUFF STAIRS 2025

St. Joe Today is happy to announce the installation of another temporary mural on the stairs leading up to Lake Bluff Park and downtown St. Joseph. St. Joe Today was able to bring this project to the community with support from the Schalon Foundation.

St. Joe Today started the mural project in 2018, the week leading up to Chalk the Block, with a permanent mural on the back of the Welcome Center building and continued in 2019 with a temporary mural on the bluff stairs, both pieces commissioned and painted by Texas based artist Anat Ronen. 

Previous Bluff Stair Murals

2019 & 2021 - Artist: Anat Ronen (Texas)

2022 - Artist: Nate Baranowski (Indiana)

2023 - Artists: Nate Baranowski (Indiana) and Chris Carlson (Colorado)

2024 & 2025 - Artist: Kim Wood (Michigan)

Additional  SJT Murals

2018 - Artist: Anat Ronen (Texas); This mural can be found on the back of the St. Joe Today building, located in the 300 block of State Street.

2019 - Artist: Shawn McCann (Minnesota); This mural can be found on the back of the Holt Bosse building, located in the 100 block of State Street.

2021 - Artist: Kumpa Tawornprom; This mural can be found on the side of the Silver Harbor Brewing Co. building in downtown St. Joseph.

2022 - Artist: Jeff Pilkinton (Florida); This mural can be found in the alley behind Cornerstone Alliance in Benton Harbor. 

Paul Knapp, executive director of St. Joe Today, said this time around they partnered with St. Joseph, MI based artist Kim Wood. "We're thrilled to unveil the latest addition to our mural project – a vibrant piece that evokes the beauty of a St. Joe sunset reflecting on the waves, complete with a distinct 3D surfboard design. Our heartfelt thanks go to the Schalon Foundation; their generous support is instrumental in bringing these temporary murals to the bluff stairs and fostering a more colorful community experience."

Wood said the design was inspired by things that reflect St. Joe, “I picked out some of the things that I really love about St. Joe. We all love the water, and I love paddleboarding, but even if you don’t paddleboard, you can pretend that you do with it being part of the mural this year!”



The newly installed mural provides viewers with an interactive photo op to help capture a perfect St. Joe summer memory. St. Joe Today plans to continue the mural project in the future.

The Schalon Foundation has made the support of cultural activities in the Twin Cities a priority over the past decades. Suz Schalon, a director of the Schalon Foundation says, “Our annual underwriting of this unique placemaking project continues to be a great opportunity to promote our community in general and St. Joseph Today in particular.”