For St. Paul students, stretch of drab skyway is ideal canvas

Over the years, many of downtown St. Paul's residents, workers and visitors have come to know the Victory Ramp's long, white-walled stretch of skyway as a windowless corridor leading to lunch breaks or Wild games.

But for high school students at the neighboring St. Paul Conservatory for Performing Artists, the hallway was a canvas in desperate need of some color.

Sixteen students in the school's visual arts program spent a semester-long class designing, painting and installing a 40-foot mural in partnership with the Minnesota Museum of American Art. The city and nonprofit St. Paul Downtown Alliance both chipped in $5,000 for supplies and class visits from seasoned Twin Cities muralists.

The result — which students dubbed "SkyTrain: Cities in the Clouds" — drew smiles from passersby recently as the class stood on tarps in the skyway, dabbing their paint brushes in pinks and oranges for the finishing touches.

"I think that was our initial goal — just to paint something that brightens people's days and spreads positivity," said Ava Erickson, a junior.

After much discussion, students said they settled on a dreamy, '70s-inspired depiction of the light rail connecting St. Paul and Minneapolis. The public train serves as a symbol of connection between the two cities, they said, and a reminder that everyone is a part of a community.

Students sketched the design by hand, transferred it to a digital format and used a projector to scale it onto large panels that were screwed into the skyway wall. Colors were carefully curated and labeled so that each shade could be replicated if needed again.

"Hopefully now that they all got a little taste of every single part of the process, they can feel more confident if they decide to take on a project of their own," said Zamara Cuyun, the class's teaching artist.

For many students, the mural marked a first foray into the collaborative process of public art. Lucy Cable, a junior, said she appreciated the chance to work on a large-scale piece, good experience for a future career in art. Eliza Peterson, a senior, said that because of the class, her mom is letting her paint a mural in her backyard this summer.

"I was just so used to being stuck in the classroom that I wanted to get out and do a hands-on project," said Livia Disney, a senior.

"Especially this everlasting piece that's going to be here even when we graduate," senior Nia Symone chimed in.

The school and museum leaders hope the mural class could become a tradition, as do Jeff and Kathleen Weiker, the Victory Ramp's property managers.

"We'll see how it holds up first — and then who knows, maybe we'll do the whole skyway," Jeff Weiker said. His dream addition would be a blue-sky ceiling à la Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas.

Downtowns across the country have struggled with perceptions since COVID, he added. That's part of the reason City Council Member Rebecca Noecker helped connect the involved parties.

Commercial vacancies, a decline in commuters and a lack of upkeep over the years have drawn an increasing number of concerns from skyway users. Noecker plans to propose an ordinance this summer that would allow the city to enforce its building standards more easily.

St. Paul Deputy Mayor Jaime Tincher said the city has also been working on design changes in some parts of the skyway system, better coordination of security personnel and technology with private companies and Metro Transit, and possibly stricter prosecution of minor crimes committed in the skyways.

"The mural brings vitality and beauty to an area," Tincher said. "That alone isn't going to change the dynamics if there are challenging behaviors happening. But it can certainly contribute to, and help support and sustain, our other efforts."