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Artist hopes downtown Mesa mural will inspire city pride

It is another piece to add to the collection of artist Kelsey Montague, a Denver-based interactive artist who has murals all over the world.
Credit: 12 News

MESA, Ariz. — A mural in downtown Mesa is giving passersby something to really ponder.

It is another piece to add to the collection of artist Kelsey Montague, a Denver-based interactive artist who has murals all over the world.

“I really love to have people step into my work and become part of it and share something positive about life with ‘What Lifts You,'” Montague said.

Montague tries to focus her work on spreading a positive message. She includes the hashtag “What Fits You” on almost all her work and asks for people to share something that brightens their day.

As the City of Mesa expands their efforts to revitalize the downtown area, they brought in Montague to add a touch of her positivity to the area.

Credit: 12 News

“I’ve got murals all over the world that are interactive,” Montague said over the phone, as she was already on her way back to Denver to prepare for her next artistic adventure. 

“I really wanted to spread a positive message, so I do a lot in the hashtag ‘What lifts you’. So when Downtown Mesa reached out to us, they liked my work, I was like, this is perfect, I’m going to be in town, so I added an extra day onto my trip so I can create a new piece here.”

The work she created, two butterfly wings on the side of a building between North Robson and North MacDonald along Main St. next to the Pomeroy building, includes five hidden items that speak to Montague about the heart of Mesa.

“I wanted to focus on the idea of having a brewery there and having great music there, just this whole up-and-coming area that it is, so it was really cool to be able to highlight that in the mural and highlight something that people in Mesa are really proud of,” Montague said.

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