In fall of 2019, a Leighton Media employee, Account Executive; Kalie Schuster, came to her leadership team with an idea. An idea born from a local networking group she was involved in, who was creative in ideas about how to better our local downtown business community. Kalie’s excitement and passion for the groups’ idea was contagious. So it was then, as a company, we decided to hold a contest for local artists to submit their work to beautify, what we commonly call “The LB alley,” located in Downtown St. Cloud, MN behind Leighton Media’s corporate headquarters.
The LB alley has always been a popular spot for professional photographers to shoot and is, of course, commonly traveled by our team members who work out of Leighton Media’s St. Cloud location. Leighton Media would give a $1,000.00 to the winning, local artist as compensation for their time and materials. Plus, Leighton Media would donate $1,000.00 in advertising credit to the winners’ non-profit of choice. As an organization, we were all excited to see the outcome, receiving dozens of entries.
Graphic Credit: Jenna Schafer, Graphic Designer, Leighton Media
Local artist, Jen Steinkopf, the winner, by majority vote, designed a gorgeous butterfly accompanied by the Gandhi quote: “Be the change you want to see in the world.” Trailing off from the large butterfly is a series of small butterflies symbolizing the dissemination of good acts of service.
Two thousand twenty has been a challenging and transformative year. As we move forward into 2021, I encourage you to dream big and choose kind. Remember that together, we are strong and capable of amazing change in our community and world. Be the change you want to see in the world.
Make sure to visit the LB Mural on your next trip to Downtown St. Cloud, MN. Take a picture and use the hashtags #LBMural #BeTheChange
If you’d like to contact Jen for a mural project of your own (indoor or outdoor), email her at: jenmsteinkopf@gmail.com or find her prints on Etsy at @SavvySignsMN
