Former Big Laker Elaine Smith is hard at work designing and painting a large mural on a downtown property in Fargo, ND. Her mural is a depiction of downtown Fargo’s Dike East River Park, with the vantage point of views west towards Fargo.

“The whole scene came from an image that I captured while on a walk at the park, which I then took into Photoshop and used as a basis for the overall outlines,” explained Smith. 

Smith, an employee at   JLG Architects spent months scouting out locations and speaking with downtown Fargo property owners to secure space for a custom-designed mural. The 10’ x 22’ feet mural has recently found its home in Roberts Alley on the brick wall behind the Chase Bank building, a property owned by Kilbourne Group. “My intent was to highlight the activity that revolves around the recreational aspect of the river, nature, and its tie to the lively downtown neighborhood,” Smith said. “I also wanted to show the park through the seasons by subtly dividing the scene into four quarters, with different skies to express the beauty and variety of North Dakota sunsets.”

 The JLGives Back program funded 100% of the mural’s materials, allowing Smith to start work on the wall on July 20 alongside several of her colleagues, including Ben Djerf, Jenna Larson, Ethan Holder, Ty Pritchard, Robert Curry, and Kirk Carow, in addition to Carow’s daughter Lila. After the weekend, the majority of the colored areas were completed, with more details planned to continue development throughout this week and into the following weekend of July 27-28.

 Smith grew up in Big Lake, MN, and moved to Fargo in 2017 to attend NDSU. She graduated from NDSU with a Master of Architecture in 2022 and has been a Project Associate at JLG Architects for two years.

“It’s been a dream of mine to do a large-scale art piece like a mural, with a lasting impact on a community,” said Smith. “I’ve always been drawn to the realm of design and creativity, which is what drew me to architecture; a very tangible and practical application.” 

“In terms of fine art, I’ve explored several mediums in painting and drawing, and my current favorites are watercolor and colored pencil,” she continued. “This mural would be my first go at large-scale public art, and it’s definitely one of the biggest projects I’ve taken on thus far. This project has given me some amazing experience as a young artist, and I’ve been learning a lot in the process.”

Smith spoke of her faith and gratitude for Kilbourne Group and three colleagues who worked to guide and gain approvals for the endeavor, including Rob Remark, Amanda Kosior, and Tommy Schmidt. 

“While Tommy offered his guidance, support, and encouragement throughout the process, Rob and Amanda gave me the chance to make it happen,” she said. “JLG’s long-standing relationship with Kilbourne Group also helped make this project possible; they have always been advocates for downtown art and were very much supportive of the proposal. I would also like to thank God overall for this opportunity to serve the community and display his creation in an imaginative way, all glory to Him.”

“Murals can enhance the downtown domain in creating a lively art scene,” added Smith. “In some ways, it connects people by starting conversation and encouraging people to stop, observe, ponder, and slow down. Over the weekend, many people stopped at the wall and shared their excitement. My hope is that this mural can bring joy to locals and visitors of Fargo who pass by, leaving a lasting impact in a place that has become meaningful to me.”