If you’ve been cruising down Broadway this summer, you might have noticed a new mural beginning to take shape on the side of the Kemps ice cream plant in the heart of West Broadway. That public art mural is being painted by Charles Caldwell.

Charles Caldwell’s ‘All Seasons’ mural in progress, August 2023.

It all started with a thought—

Charles has been dreaming about this mural since he was a young boy. He grew up riding his bike past the Kemps wall and that's when his artistic wheels began to turn. He knew he wanted to create something that would impact the community, he just didn’t know how much it would impact himself.

Charles is an artist, a longtime resident of North Minneapolis, and a member of Lundstrum's Board of Directors. When asked what brought him to serving on Lundstrum's board, Charles mentioned the importance of supporting organizations that change lives, especially young people’s lives. He believes strongly that it's important to be a part of that.

Caldwell’s well-known ‘Welcome to North Minneapolis’ mural, near Broadway’s I-94 Freeway entrance

Many people know Charles from his iconic ‘Welcome to North Minneapolis’ mural that greets people as they enter the community. His new mural is called ‘All Seasons,’ which is designed to reflect each one of our lives, as well as to help us heal. It is Charles’ largest mural, at 141 feet by 17 feet, and given the size of this project, Charles has had help from several painting apprentices, including his grandson Jaden, who is also a Lundstrum student. To create such a large mural Charles chose to divide the Kemps wall into sections, one for each season: spring a time where seeds start to grow, summer when everything blooms, fall a time when things start to change and winter, which is more whimsical, depicts a celebration! As seasons change, we change with the seasons, we reflect on the times, and move on. There is a beginning, an end, and everything between.

Charles takes a break from painting to pose in front of his ‘All Seasons’ mural, August 2023.

As Charles has worked on the mural, slated for completion in summer 2024, he realized the impact that the painting of ‘All Seasons’ has had on the community. He created a healing garden on Broadway across from the project to allow people to sit and view the process. This healing space is also where he organized ice cream socials, and distributed free backpacks and lunches to connect and celebrate all people in the community. The more he painted and gave out ice cream, the more Charles connected with people and heard their stories. And the more people he met, the more he was inspired to keep working on the mural and even integrating the faces of these North Minneapolis residents on the mural itself. Charles realized that he needed to integrate his own artistic vision with the people in the community to bring light and care into ‘All Seasons’. His goal is for ‘All Seasons’ to be a healing experience for the community.

“I hope this contributes to the perception that there’s beauty in every community-especially in North Minneapolis.”

The next time you head to Lundstrum or down West Broadway, be sure to check out the ‘All Seasons’ mural. Continuing through September 2023, Charles will be painting the wall or across the street in the healing space. Stop by and say hi, connect to the community, and become part of the story.

It All Started With A Thought