OSHKOSH (NBC 26) — Two new murals are going up on the walls of Oshkosh establishments in an effort to make the city an even nicer place to live, work and visit.
Early returns suggest the strategy is working, as the murals are already drawing praise from passersby, even though they aren't quite finished yet.
Jack Steinhoff says he has passed by the mural on The Roxy's walls several times as it's been painted. He says the mural is "beautiful" and thinks it does a good job representing the city and its people.
“I think it shows our history well," Steinhoff said. "[It's] something to be proud of.”
Victor Ving founded the "Greetings Tour" with his wife in 2015, and has been traveling the country painting murals ever since. He helped paint The Roxy mural as part of the tour and said "people have loved" his latest work.
Ving explains the mural is patterned off old postcards and intended to capture the history of Oshkosh by depicting scenes from Lake Winnebago, old sawmills and Native American designs. Ving says he made a point of partnering with local artists to design and create the mural and hopes to encourage the community to take ownership of the project.
“As long as the people here like it and feel like it represents them we’re happy," said Ving. "When we’re gone, it belongs to the community.”
According to Ving, the mural still needs a few finishing touches, but the completed project will be unveiled Thursday night.
