July 19, 2025 8a
(WGTD)---The "Kenosha Kraken" sea monster lives in a downtown alley.
It's the latest image to be finished in a mural project that when completed is expected to transform the walls of nine buildings in the city.
The "Kenosha Kraken"--on display on the back of the Modern Apothecary building--is wearing hip sunglasses and appears to have emerged from the Kenosha harbor to playfully grab in its tentacles a streetcar and an AMC vehicle. The mural is meant to spark curiosity, laughter and pride in both locals and visitors, according to artist Leeanna Chipana.
On the other side of the alley is a mural titled, "Place of the Pike" and features brightly-colored fish, says Amy Greil, director of the Kenosha Community Foundation, the non-profit that is the project's fiscal agent. "It hits you and it's just powerful," Greil said on a recent edition of WGTD's Community Matters. "You have to see the mural to believe it because of the colors and things. It's transformative when you see what's possible in some of these areas."
Greil and Francisco Loyola, director of Kenosha Creative Space, credit the project in part to Mayor Dave Bogdala who jumped on board early on. Loyola said murals in a city are a sign that a community values its artists. "I believe that one of the signs of a vibrant arts community is murals," he said. "When you go into a city and you see murals you know there is good support for the arts in the community."
It also helps to have a paint manufacturer in your back yard. Rust-Oleum, with a plant in Pleasant Prairie, is a major participant.
Creation of all nine planned murals is dependent on fundraising. There's more at kenoshamurals.org.
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