Bringing Art, Culture, and History to the Heart of Ronan
Project Overview
The Murals on Main Street project is a community-driven initiative designed to enhance Ronan’s downtown area by showcasing large-scale, vibrant murals. These artworks will reflect the history, language, and cultural heritage of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes (CSKT) while creating an inviting and dynamic streetscape for both residents and visitors.
By incorporating public art that tells the unique story of Ronan, this project aims to foster cultural awareness, encourage heritage tourism, and create a visually engaging experience that connects people to the town’s rich past and promising future.
Goals of the Project
• Cultural Representation: Honor the Salish and Kootenai heritage through visual storytelling, using murals that depict traditional imagery, language, and history.
• Downtown Revitalization: Transform Ronan’s Main Street into an engaging, artistic destination that attracts both tourists and locals.
• Economic Growth: Encourage heritage tourism, boosting foot traffic to local businesses and strengthening the community’s economy.
• Community Engagement: Provide opportunities for local artists and students to participate in the mural creation process, fostering community pride and involvement.
• Wayfinding & Future Expansion: Establish these murals as the foundation for a future walking tour, connecting visitors to key businesses and landmarks in town.
These artworks will reflect the history, language, and cultural heritage of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes (CSKT).
Community Impact
Enhancing Main Street Aesthetics
Murals will create a visually appealing downtown core, making Ronan a more inviting place to live, work, and visit.
Promoting Indigenous Art & Cultural Awareness
By highlighting Salish and Kootenai heritage, the murals will educate visitors and locals about the region’s deep-rooted history, traditions, and language.
Boosting Heritage Tourism
Public art draws attention, creating a reason for travelers to stop and explore Ronan rather than simply passing through on their way to Glacier National Park or Flathead Lake.
Creating a Walkable Downtown Experience
The murals will eventually be integrated into a self-guided walking tour, providing historical insights while encouraging visitors to explore Ronan’s local shops, restaurants, and attractions.
Opportunities for Local Artists
The project will feature regional artists, including Native American painters, giving them a platform to showcase their talent while contributing to Ronan’s revitalization.
Mural Locations & Design Process
The Murals on Main Street project will take a strategic approach to placement to ensure maximum impact and visibility.
🎨 Potential Locations Include:
• Key buildings along Main Street (selected based on visibility and artistic potential)
• Public gathering spaces and pedestrian-heavy areas
• Walls of local businesses interested in participating
🎨 Design Process:
1. Community & Artist Collaboration – Local artists and CSKT representatives will provide input to ensure cultural accuracy and artistic impact.
2. Concept Sketches & Public Input – Draft designs will be presented to the community for feedback and refinement.
3. Final Artwork Selection – Once approved, the murals will be finalized and prepped for installation.
4. Mural Painting & Completion – The community will be invited to witness and participate in the painting process, fostering civic engagement.
5. Celebration & Walking Tour Launch – Once complete, the murals will be officially unveiled with a community event highlighting the artists and cultural significance.
How to Get Involved
Are you an artist? Apply to be part of the mural painting team!
Own a business downtown? Consider offering your wall as a mural location.
Want to support the project? Help by spreading the word, donating materials, or volunteering.
If you’re interested in contributing to the Murals on Main Street project, attending planning meetings, or sponsoring an artist, please contact us through our Get Involved Page.
2025 Featured Mural
About the Artists
Cheyenne Marcus
https://www.cheyennerenee.com/
The 50in50 Project is Cheyenne’s most recent adventure. A goal to paint a mural in 50 small towns across all 50 states by the end of 2025. Highlighting areas that value scenic beauty and small businesses. Creating a Documentary that highlights each community & the people that are doing amazing things for those around them. The main goal of the project is to take travelers off the beaten path, to create awareness for small town tourism, and to connect fifty communities to each other. Cheyenne believes art can be used as a tool to generate new perspectives. That a project like this can bring not only vibrancy to areas that are lacking in color, but it can also bring recognition to people that deserve it the most. Public Art can be used as a spotlight, shining on those who might otherwise be unseen just as it can be used as a megaphone, amplifying voices that deserve to be heard. Starting in her hometown of Covington, Virginia Cheyenne has traveled from coast-to-coast painting since April of 2022. Locations that have populations ranging from 200 to 60,000. Working with Nonprofit organizations & small businesses across the country to create artwork that represents those who view it the most. Each state being vastly different from the next.
Aspen and Cameron Decker
Aspen Decker is an enrolled member of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes (t̓at̓ʔayáqn, Ql̓ispè, & Ksanka) and a speaker of her tribal language, Nsélišcn ‘Salish language’. She graduated with a master’s degree in linguistics from the University of Montana in 2021. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Tribal Historic Preservation from Salish Kootenai College in 2018. She has a Montana Class 7 Native American Language and Culture Educator License and has taught Salish for 10 years. Her passion for Salish language began as a child, learning from her elders, primarily, Patlik Pierre. Who taught her about the importance of perpetuating Salish language and culture. Raising her children in the language as first language Salish speakers has been one of the ways that she honors their teachings.
Aspen owns Xʷlxʷilt ‘Alive and Well’ a company dedicated to supporting Aspen’s language revitalization and cultural preservation through education, art, and consulting. The company is committed to developing and providing genuine Indigenous education, contributing to the promotion of diversity and Native voice within Western systems.
Artist Statement:
Ancestral Indigenous knowledge and language are at the heart of my work. As a Salish speaker and storyteller, I create ledger art on antique maps that reflect Sqelixʷ ‘Indigenous’ ways of knowing and emphasize cultural preservation, language revitalization, storytelling, and Plains Indian Sign Language.
Cameron Decker is Diné (Navajo) and a descendant of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes. He is an artist and educator working in printmaking, painting, drawing, digital art, and public arts. Cameron holds a B.A. in Art History from the University of New Mexico and an M.A. in Fine Arts through the Creative Pulse program at the University of Montana. He served as faculty and Chair of the Fine Arts Department at Salish Kootenai College and was formerly the Educator and Outreach Coordinator at the Missoula Art Museum. Cameron creates his own natural pigments and charcoals for painting and drawing. His public artworks are installed throughout schools and parks on the Flathead Reservation.
Artist Statement:
My art practice is guided by intuition, memory, and connection to place. I work with natural materials like pigments made from rocks I gather and handmade willow charcoal elements. Each carries meaning, memory, and deep time of geological histories compressed into color. Drawing with these materials grounds me in a long continuum, where I feel both connected and fleeting. Creation comes in flurries, often sparked by reflection, and driven by a desire to learn and surprise myself. Whether working in painting, drawing, printmaking, or public art, I hope to honor those who shaped me and offer something lasting.
📸 Mural Gallery
Before & After
Discover the transformation of this downtown Ronan wall—from a blank, ordinary surface to a vibrant public artwork celebrating local culture and heritage.
Before:
A simple, unadorned wall waiting for new life.
After:
A completed mural full of color, meaning, and storytelling, showcasing the talent of our featured artists and the spirit of our community.
In Progress
See a few behind-the-scenes moments from the painting process. These photos capture the teamwork, skill, and creativity that brought this project to life.
