MILES CITY — What began as one woman’s effort to bring more color and creativity to her hometown has become a community-wide movement, transforming Miles City’s downtown one wall at a time.
Watch to see how a public art initiative has transformed downtown Miles City:
If you take a quick drive down Main Street, it will be hard to miss the growing gallery of color across its walls. It's thanks to the vision and efforts of local resident Kelsey Merritt.
"I spend a lot of time lurking up and down Main Street and trying to find empty walls where we could fit some public art," said Merritt.
She launched the Miles City Downtown Art Walk in 2024 as a volunteer-led initiative to support local artists, increase community pride, and revitalize the historic Main Street. Just one year later, the project has grown beyond anything she imagined.
“In 2025, the effort has absolutely exploded,” said Merritt. “In no way did I think that this effort would take off in the way it did.”
By the end of last year, Merritt had one project completed, a bison mural done by local artist Keely Perkins on the side of the Bison Bar. At the time, her goal was to be able to install two pieces a year.
Related: Artists aim to brighten downtown with new Miles City mural
But now, thanks to over $140,000 in grant funding, Merritt commissioned eight murals, four sculptures, and 15 welding projects, including six benches, three picnic tables, and eight informational signs, throughout downtown this year alone.
“Our small towns need folks who are willing to put in that time and that efforts to help us revitalize our downtown and to revitalize our communities," said Merritt.
All of the installations are handcrafted or painted by local students or artisans. All of the artwork ties into Montana’s landscape, culture, or history with a strong focus on supporting Eastern Montana artists.
The funding came from a variety of sources, including the Montana Community Foundation, Connor’s Family Foundation, Nibs and Edna Allen Foundation, Milestown Community Improvement Inc., Keep Miles City Beautiful, support from the local Chamber of Commerce, and various donations from local small businesses and community members.
Merritt was awarded every grant she applied for.
"The reality of a small business owner is that if you have to choose between a roof for your building and a mural for the side of the building, you have to choose the roof," said Merritt. "That's where we hope to fill the gap as the art walk to be able to provide the funding."
With the funds, each artist is compensated for their work and materials.
Perkins returned to create several other installations, including a three-piece mural atop the Elks building, a "peak-a-boo" mural on the corner of the Miles City Saddlery, and a massive 80-foot mural honoring veterans outside the 600 Cafe overlooking Veterans Park.
The mural features various symbols that honor veterans and those in combat, many of which came from suggestions from those passing by as she was painting.
“While she was painting, there were often times veterans sitting in the park watching her. Many times they became emotional," said Merritt. "That's when I understood that the work we do is important in helping these folks feel seen and heard and valued within our community too.”
Perkins is now being commissioned for projects in other towns, including Billings, Forsyth, and Hysham.
"There's a huge push for public art all across Montana," said Merritt. "To know that our efforts here are supporting our artists, our Miles City artists, to be able to go and showcase their talent elsewhere is incredibly meaningful.”
One mural in progress is being done by Autumn Toennis, a Miles City native. Her first public mural will sit behind Otium Brewing and is inspired by the brewery’s Montana Quilt Square logo.
“Each different color represents a different piece of the Montana landscape," said Toennis. "The corners are the sky, other pieces are the river, there's the rangelands, the buttes, the mountains, everything is connected to something."
For Toennis, the project is personal.
“Art is wonderful, and it's so important,” she said. “When you get to do it for your own community, the place that you grew up, you get to give back to that, that's just pretty cool.”
Students from Custer County District High School and local 4-H programs also played a big role. The high school’s art club painted a tribute mural to Dr. Maurice Hilleman outside the library that reads, "Hometown Hero." Hilleman was commonly referred to as the "father of modern vaccines" and was a Miles City native.
“I think that that's an important piece of this artwork effort, and including these public art pieces is making sure that we're bringing an educational element to our community," said Merritt.
4-H students Paige Shaw, Tylee Huft, and Teegan Brimmer made three small sculpture pieces for the library. Additionally, three welding students built the benches and wheelchair-accessible picnic tables now seen around public parks. Merritt said donations were made to support the students’ program and annual cultural trips.
"We're hoping to showcase to these youth the value of what they create and to teach them to advocate for the value of their work,” said Merritt.
Billings artist Elyssa Leininger recently completed a mural on wood that was installed on the You1st Insurance building. The last piece to be installed is a large three-mule deer sculpture by local artist Erin Thormodsgard that will sit on the courthouse lawn.
“Of the eight painted murals we have, they've been completed by five different artists," said Merritt. "That was really important to us as well because we want to make sure that we're showcasing the variety of talent that we have across Montana, but specifically in eastern Montana."
Miles City artist Jennifer Hall was excited to contribute her talents to the art walk.
“It's like a little treasure hunt in the city that people can kind of have fun with," said Hall. "I am really excited that people are enjoying it and getting to see businesses that they used to know or used to frequent."
Hall, who moved to Miles City several years ago and has a background in fine art and museum studies, painted two pieces. One is a nostalgic mural of a blue truck and town landmarks, and another reads “Today is a Good Day” in bold white letters on a black background outside Door 804 gym.
"Art is so important to how we live our daily lives," said Hall. "I think that when we introduce a little bit of color, a little bit of interest, something that even when you're waiting at the stoplight here, can bring a little bit of a smile to your day."
She's proud of the pieces she completed and said the art walk has created a chance to bring the area's rich history to life.
"Eastern Montana specifically doesn't get the attention it deserves for the history it has," said Hall. "This city is kind of a museum in and of itself, and for people to come here and be able to explore it that way is just a unique opportunity."
All of the murals and sculptures are either finished or being completed this fall, but Merritt is already preparing for 2026. She has five to six large-scale pieces planned, each with a different artist, including both local and out-of-town contributors.
Her long-term goal is to create a mapped art walk with signage for each installation. The work will not stop in the colder months, as Merritt will continue applying for grants.
For many of these artists, the art walk has been a way to get local recognition, while also getting compensated for their work, an opportunity many do not always have.
"Being able to make something beautiful and also being able to be compensated for your time doing that, like a job that you love to do, is amazing," said Toennis. “It makes you feel valuable too.”
Merritt said the community's overwhelmingly positive response has validated everything she hoped for when she first set out to show the transformative power art can have.
“The success of this year and just the sheer volume of art we've been able to install has indicated to me that my ideas are validated," said Merritt. "I am one person who thought that we might need public art and thought that our downtown could use to revitalize efforts with some color, and to see the reception that we have received that has been so overwhelmingly positive indicates to me that folks may not have even realized that they needed it until they saw it."
Merritt's efforts began as a simple act of love for her hometown and a way to bring pride, color, and connection to her community and the next generation. Her work is a reminder that change for our communities comes from within, and that one small act by someone willing enough to try can create an entire movement.
“Kelsey has done a fantastic job putting this together. I think she's opening a lot of doors for people who maybe don't necessarily know that yet,” said Toennis. "How cool is it to have local art by local artists?"
"We are an agricultural community. We are hard workers and we are stubborn folk, and oftentimes that results in us putting other needs up in front of art," added Merritt. "But that doesn't mean that we don't value it, and that doesn't mean that we don't deserve it and need it, and so that's where we hope to be able to fill that gap.”
