St. Paul mural "Hunger Has No Color" being restored by original artists
ST. PAUL, Minn. — A wall-sized piece of art is getting a major makeover that's decades overdue.
The St. Paul mural "Hunger Has No Color" is getting restored by the three original painters.
Anyone driving on Robert Street just south of the Mississippi River during the last 39 years has seen it.
"It's actually talking about the whole community, community in need from hunger, trying to prevent hunger in Minnesota," said Armando Gutierrez G., one of the original muralists. "If we can prevent struggle and help humanity, we're trying to say that through this mural."
Gutierrez G., John Acosta and Richard Schletty painted the mural in 1985 when the building was a food bank.
Now all three are back, restoring and essentially repainting what decades out in the elements did to the mural.
"It's an honor and privilege to do this," Gutierrez G. said. "Not many artists get to come back to their work."
"I've been seeing it deteriorate and that kind of hurt to see it falling apart," Acosta said.
The artists painted people in the neighborhood in the original as well as members of their own families.
"That's the beauty of murals," Gutierrez G. said. "They become part of a community that is broader than 15 seconds of looking at a social media page or something."
Acosta says the mural is special because it has a story and a good message.
The building's now home to Captain Ken's Foods, a food manufacturer, and the owners have supportively watched the men work the last two months.
"It comes more and more to life each day," said Mike Traxler, one of Captain Ken's owners. "It's pretty incredible, the detail and how things come alive."
Acosta says the theme of people getting along and helping each other is important in 2024, just as it was in 1985.
