All-White Murals At St. Paul City Hall Under Reconsideration

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) -- Officials in St. Paul are rethinking murals from the 1930s that line the walls of the City Council chambers.

City leaders and residents say the four murals have become outdated. The murals depict a voyageur, a steamboat captain, a railroad surveyor and a laborer, all of them white.

City Council President Amy Brendmoen says the murals seem to reflect a perspective that is "really very white and very male."

Chicago artist John Norton painted the murals.

The City Council and Ramsey County Board are expected to vote next month to start the process of commissioning new murals to temporarily cover the old ones. The Star Tribune reports the new murals will rotate in and out of the chambers, allowing visitors to see them alongside the original works.

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