By the time the Minnesota Yacht Club Festival opened, the mural was ready. 

Festivalgoers stopped to admire it, snapping photos and pointing out favorite details: a loon gliding across blue water, a kayaker winding through the landscape, a beaver wearing headphones, giant mushrooms rising from the forest floor, wildflowers, and stars dotting the night sky.  

Few would have guessed it had been created by six young artists who were new to murals and each other. But thanks to COMPAS’s Fresh Paint | Fresh Sounds program led by Teaching Artist Moira Villiard, they had been given a paid public art opportunity, one that offered a firsthand look at producing professional creative work. Over five weeks, they experienced many aspects of working as artists, from collaborating with a client to responding to feedback, meeting deadlines, and completing a commission that would be viewed by thousands of people.  

Here’s what the process looked like.

Building the Team  

Before anyone picked up a paintbrush, the group focused on becoming a team. Moira led activities that explored different work styles, built trust, and encouraged collaboration. Through drawing exercises and shared brainstorming, participants built on one another’s ideas and developed concepts inspired by Minnesota and the festival itself. By the end of the first day, Moira had woven elements from everyone’s sketches into a single composition, a design that reflected every artist’s contribution. From the very beginning, the mural belonged to everyone. 

The next day, the young artists presented the design to their client, the Minnesota Yacht Club, incorporated feedback, planned the installation, and only then picked up their brushes

See the evolution of the project

Learning the Craft

Each session began with a review of the previous session’s progress. Using printed overlays that compared the painting to the original design, the team learned how muralists evaluate a composition, make adjustments, and solve problems as a project evolves. They practiced new techniques, critiqued one another’s work, refined their approach, and gradually took ownership of different sections of the mural. 

Not every decision came easily. 

At one point, several artists envisioned the kayaker’s flowing hair differently. Rather than choosing one version, they talked through their ideas, experimented, and found a solution that blended their perspectives. Moira later reflected that what could have become “a moment of crisis or disagreement” instead became “a great introduction into true collaborative processes.” 

She also coached the artists on ways to deepen their partnership by merging their painting styles. By Day Four, she noted simply, “There was a lot of teamwork happening!” 

As the project progressed, the group settled into their roles. 

“Everyone knew where to go, what to do, and how they would do it,” Moira shared. 

Growing as Artists

Alongside the mural, something else was taking shape. 

One participant who had been quiet during the first days gradually found confidence as the others intentionally welcomed them into conversations. Others found new social connections, swapped stories throughout the day, and lingered after each session because no one seemed quite ready to leave.  

As they painted, a Spotify playlist curated by Moira filled the room with music from artists performing at the Yacht Club festival. The songs became more than a soundtrack. They created a subtle connection between the young muralists and the musicians whose work they were celebrating. By the time the mural was finished, those rhythms, lyrics, and voices had become woven into its creative DNA. 

Feedback from the young artists about the experience echoed what Moira had observed throughout the program. They described gaining confidence, improving communication, learning collaboration and time management, and discovering how to use their artistic skills in service of their community. They also valued working alongside a professional Teaching Artist, being paid for their creative work, building résumé experience, creating something for the community, and making new friends. 

For many young people, creativity begins as something personal. Fresh Paint | Fresh Sounds offered a chance to see it differently. By the end of the program, participants had experienced the full arc of a commissioned mural project, from the first sketch to the final brushstroke. Along the way, they discovered that creativity can be both a deeply personal form of expression and meaningful professional work. 

More Time

Every team member who completed an evaluation said they would recommend the program to others. When asked what they would change, nearly everyone arrived at the same answer. 

More time. 

More time to paint. 

More time to work together. 

That’s an unusual kind of feedback. Participants weren’t asking for the program to be easier. They weren’t asking for different activities or better supplies. They wanted more of exactly what they had experienced. 

And that’s perhaps the clearest measure of Fresh Paint | Fresh Sounds’ success

Why it Matters

This is why COMPAS creates opportunities like Fresh Paint | Fresh Sounds. We believe creativity is the most powerful way people express themselves, connect with others, and strengthen their communities. And it can be a career. Across Minnesota, more than 138,000 artists and creative workers contribute to a creative economy worth more than $13 billion each year. Programs like this help bridge those two realities, but only because communities, organizations, and individuals invest in them.

The final result? The mural was completed in about a month. The confidence, skills, and relationships it sparked could last a lifetime.

Want to create opportunities like this in your environment?  
COMPAS partners with schools, festivals, libraries, parks, businesses, healthcare environments, communities, and anywhere else to connect people of all ages with professional Teaching Artists. Whether you’re looking to inspire young artists, strengthen your community through the arts, or create unforgettable artistic experiences, we’d love to help. Reach out today to start the conversation. 

Make a gift today and help a young artist launch their career in the arts.