A new mural featuring colorful renditions of the flora and fauna present in Dinkytown’s natural surroundings has been painted on the side of the Chateau Student Housing Co-op building.

The mural is part of an ongoing effort to revitalize the space between the Chateau and the neighboring Fourth Street Co-op, said Gunnar Carlson, the community engagement manager of Riverton, the company that oversees both properties.

Carlson said the small plaza between the two buildings was recently renovated.

The mural, designed and painted by muralist Jacqui Rosenbush in collaboration with the board of the Chateau, is based on the results of a community survey conducted by Chateau board members.

The survey asked residents and neighbors about what they wanted to see in the mural, including color palettes, themes and emotions. Many said they wanted a nature-inspired mural that represented feelings of happiness and serenity. 

“I really wanted to make something that did bring a spirit of peace, a spirit of joy to the neighborhood,” Rosenbush said. 

Chateau residents and neighbors also had the opportunity to participate in painting the canvases of the polytab mural, said Nileena Nandakumaran, a Chateau board member. The canvases were designed in a “paint by the numbers” style so community members could come together and directly contribute to the mural.

Board member Vrishali Salian said the mural was the result of a collaborative effort of residents, neighbors and community members funded by the University of Minnesota’s Good Neighbor grant. She said the project took two years to get funding from the grant, which board members owed to the enthusiasm of the community to liven up the gray concrete facade of the Chateau.

“It just shows how strong the student community is,” Salian said. 

Rosenbush’s design also considered the brutalist architecture of the building itself, she said. 

The images of chickadees perched atop bare tree branches and the Mississippi River, joined by solid blocks of bright colors, were inspired by brutalism’s emphasis on natural materials and straight lines, according to Rosenbush.

“The design is a representation of finding a home away from home,” Nandakumaran said. 

Rosenbush said she chose chickadees specifically because they do not leave Minnesota. She added she wanted the chickadees to represent residents of the building and of the surrounding community of students. 

“These birds have their original nests, and they’ve come to find a sturdy branch here before they take off again and soar to new heights,” Rosenbush said.

A University alumnus, Rosenbush said she was inspired by the “seasonality” of students coming and going from the area as they progress through their collegiate careers. In contrast to the lively trees painted in the mural’s background, the branches the birds are perched atop of are barren to represent Minnesota’s winters, she said. 

Rosenbush said she designed the mural as a project with multiple phases, with the final design reaching the top of the 20-story building. She and the Chateau board are currently working on securing funding for the next phases of the project. 

A mural unveiling event will be held on July 27 at 11 a.m.