(Radio Iowa) – State and local leaders celebrated a new mural in Manchester Wednesday that is part of a state economic development program.

The landscape mural spans three stories on the south side of Honey Creek Furniture in downtown Manchester. Stephanie Fangman says the mural that was funded by Manchester Vitality Endowment and a state grant, has gotten good reviews. “I think just from the response we’ve gotten with this mural, I think it’s definitely more than artwork. We’ve seen people of all ages, all genders, all you know, all types that have found something interesting in the mural,” she says. Iowa City artist Thomas Agran spent five days painting the nature scene inspired by a visit to Spring Branch Creek in Delaware County.

Manchester created a community mural through a new state program. (photo by Janelle Tucker)

The Iowa Economic Development Authority mural program was created to showcase a community’s “unique creative and cultural identity” while building civic pride and engagement. Fangman says the Manchester mural does that. “I think it brings people together, brings people to Manchester. To look at it, but also just to represent Manchester and the businesses we have here in lots of different ways, there’s so much that you can say in different murals. So not one mural says at all,” Fangman says.

Sam Milroy owns the furniture shop where the mural was painted and says he hears all the time from people who love the mural. He likes that the mural is unique to Manchester. “Rather than saying we want this image that we’ve seen in another community somewhere else, or we want to be like, I saw this on vacation in Chicago, and can you do this in our community?,” he says. “I like that they went with something that’s, you know, imagery that is authentic to place. This is Manchester and it’s not Manchester. pretending to be another place or another community, but celebrating the things that are special about this part of Iowa.”

Manchester was one of the first towns to be selected for the Iowans Who Create Community Murals Program. Cascade, Knoxville and Washington were also chosen for grants.