Jessi Lynch is a lifelong artist who creates murals, paintings, graphic design, and tattoos. Her work is found on buildings in Le Mars and Sioux City, and she co-owns Out of Town Tattoo with her husband Jonas. Jessi loves dogs and cats, and especially Corgis!

A mural is a large painting on a wall, building or other public place. Murals bring art into the community for everyone to see.

Public art like murals helps people feel connected to their neighborhood. It can tell stories, celebrate local history, and make a place more beautiful and welcoming.

Many of you have art hanging in your homes. Jessi creates that art as well. What differences might she find in making these paintings?

In the U.S., the First Amendment protects artistic expression—it means that artists have the right to create and show their work without government censorship for its message. One U.S. legal expert writes: “Art is broadly considered a form of speech protected by the First Amendment.”

 In Canada, the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms (Section 2 (b)) protects freedom of expression, including art. The law states that “everyone has the following fundamental freedoms … freedom of … expression.” Ministère de la Justice+1 But even with these rights, public art may still need approval from local governments and must follow municipal rules about public property.

Project Time

Thank You and Credits

Thank you to Jessi Lynch for sharing her art and your ideas about public art and community.
We used publicly available photos of her work and will add more with her permission.
We look forward to our field trip and seeing how art brings our town to life!