Our Mural

Let’s Create A New Way to Engage Guests and Help the Next Generation Learn About Bess Streeter Aldrich.

Let’s create a mural!

Why a Mural?. Aldrich's words already create beautiful imagery; but as we go about promoting her to the next generation of readers, it is important to make an impression through multiple mediums. Mrs. Aldrich had a great appreciation for art; in fact, her son James was an illustrator in New York City and painted the covers of many of her books. She understood the importance of making a first impression with her dust jackets if she was going to get readers to engage with the written word. 

We have beautifully maintained gardens and a renewed focus on making our venue educationally based for field trips, youth camps, and other events. The sister of Stephanie Mauck (a part-time employee of the Aldrich Foundation) creates murals, and board members were impressed with her work. Therefore, the Aldrich Foundation Board decided to invest in a mural.

What is the significance of the painted scenes? With some collaboration, a design was selected that depicts the development of our state as told through Mrs. Aldrich's story A Lantern in Her Hand and her other works. The first frame illustrates the creation of a book near a Lantern. As you look within this scene, you will notice a soddie; and as you go to the next pane, you see further development of the land with a farm scene. The third pane maintains the beauty of Nebraska's rolling hills while incorporating a train depicting the infusion of industrial technology in the development of our state. Also, within the mural you will find state symbols: bird, grass, flower etc.

Is the mural done or what’s next? We plan to add a flower garden around the mural with plants mentioned by Mrs. Aldrich in her books or plants that are native to Nebraska. The back side will have an Aldrich quote and 4 x 6 inch plaques recognizing benefactors and/or individuals being memorialized. Concrete benches will provide guests with a beautiful, quiet reflective area.

To make the mural more educational, we will provide additional activities for guests and educators. Aldrich board members intend to add five QR Codes where guests can utilize their cellular devices and learn about 1) a video and interview with the artist, 2) writing prompts, 3) art techniques and prompts, 4) a description of the plants included in the garden, and 5) a "Where's Waldo-type" activity where guests are encouraged to find incorporated elements; ie, white tail deer, meadowlark, goldenrod etc.

Of course, the main mission of the Aldrich Foundation is to promote Mrs. Aldrich, but our mission goes beyond that goal. It is our desire to expose the younger generation to additional reading/writing and other educational opportunities. We are confident the mural will do just that: motivate visitors to learn about the development of their state, explore mural/painting techniques, encourage writing, and plant the seed that motivates them to pick up one of Mrs. Aldrich's books or short stories. After all, she is, as the literary world contends, "a good read."

Next up, the installment of the iron bracing by Syracuse Iron Works.

Our artists…

Some Girls and a Mural

Some Girls and a Mural is the name behind two cousins, Audrey Sayles of Seibert, Colorado, and Staci Ravenkamp Beauford, originally from Hugo and now based in Arkansas. Together, they form a powerful creative team using large-scale murals to tell the stories of rural life, agricultural heritage, and small-town resilience across the American plains.

Their artistic journey began in 2018 with a bold and heartfelt project: painting a 60-foot grain bin in downtown Limon, Colorado. The mural, titled "Heart of Harvest," became a symbol of both their roots and their vision. It features the silhouette of a wheat farmer lifting his daughter, filled with scenes of farm equipment, golden fields, and even constellations — all woven together to reflect the soul of rural America. That mural quickly gained widespread attention, going viral on social media and inspiring a growing movement to bring meaningful public art to overlooked places.

Neither Audrey nor Staci pursued formal art school training. Instead, they draw inspiration from their upbringing as daughters of farmers, their deep faith, and a passion for telling the often-unsung stories of life on the land. Their name came naturally: community members who saw their early work would simply say, “It’s by some girls and a mural.” The phrase stuck — and became their signature.

Since that first project in Limon, the duo has completed 127 murals across Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, Illinois, Arkansas, and beyond. Their work appears on barns, grain bins, water towers, schools, and community buildings — each one designed to reflect the values, history, and pride of the people who live there.

With every mural, Audrey and Staci hope to deliver more than beauty. They offer hope, pride, and visibility to small towns that deserve to be seen. Their art is rooted in agriculture, faith, and family — but above all, it is rooted in love for the places that shaped them.