Fresco Artist Mark Balma Creates New Artwork

Renowned artist Mark Balma has painted frescos in an Italian church built in 1265, but the latest site for the artist with Lake Minnetonka connections is a small Lutheran church built in 1904 that the city of Stacy, Minn., holds as its only place of worship. Balma doesn’t hold those locations in contrast. The artist, who had a Wayzata studio and painted a University of St. Thomas building in downtown Minneapolis, wanted to create a public, outdoor fresco in rural setting. Stacy was similar to Assisi, the Italian town where he painted the Basilica St. Chiara, which was considered rural in the 1200s before Italy became a cultural hotspot. The artist’s work on the lawn of St. John’s Lutheran Church also has historic overtones. “No one has attempted an outside fresco in about 700 years,” he says. Balma, who grew up in Minneapolis before moving to Excelsior and now resides in Italy, invites local art appreciators to stop by Stacy. (It’s about 50 miles from Lake Minnetonka area and—take this hint—it’s a short hop off Interstate 35, if you so happen to be traveling to see the fall colors up north.) “That is a unique thing,” Balma says. “It was of interest to me to have a place for public art.”   & St. John’s Lutheran Church is at 31075 Genesis Ave. in Stacy. Head north on Interstate 35, take a right off the freeway and the church is on your left.