Appleton, Wisconsin – Sept. 28, 2016: Pacon Corporation, founded in 1951, is a leading provider of educational aids, paper products, crafts, and fine art surfaces. In addition to providing quality educational and creative products, Pacon strives to promote and inspire creativity by building a community where artwork and imagination can be shared and celebrated. It was in this spirit that Pacon turned a needed sign update into an opportunity to bring more art to the City of Appleton. A collaboration with local artist Chad Brady resulted in a colorful mural on the side of the building that celebrates the importance of artistic expression.

The existing “roll of paper” sign on the side of the building,  located on the corner of Hwy 15 and Casaloma Drive, was badly in need of a refresh. Removing the old sign and replacing it with a new one came with a number of issues due to the way the sign is installed. Creativity to the rescue! Instead of replacing the old sign, the team at Pacon decided it would make a wonderful base for a new mural that would celebrate creativity and bring new art into the community.

Mural artist Chad Brady incorporated a bright, shining sun as the main focus of the art to reflect the Pacon logo. The artist’s hand holding the brush painting the sun  represents the fine art side of the business. The word “Pacon” was painted in as a beautiful sky from which swallows are soaring, inviting the viewer’s imagination to take flight.

“At Pacon we’re always looking to inspire creativity,” said Jim Schmitz, President and CEO of Pacon Corporation. “Collaborating with Chad, a well-respected and incredibly talented local artist, has been an exciting project that fits perfectly with our message. Chad’s art embodies our tagline ‘Let Your Imagination Shine’ by pulling in just the right amount of surrealism coupled with actual elements of our  business. We hope the mural helps communicate who we are and also gives the community a beautiful piece of art to be enjoyed for years to come.”

Mural artist Chad Brady moved to Wisconsin from Washington DC in 2009. It’s likely you’ve seen Chad’s stunning murals in downtown Appleton and throughout the Fox Cities. In addition to a decade-long career as a professional muralist, Chad works in a variety of art media including painting, drawing, printmaking and photography. He’s received multiple awards for his work in oil, watercolor, and graphite.

“I’ve been drawing and painting on Strathmore Artist Papers forever. It wasn’t until I’d lived in Wisconsin for several years that I realized that those papers, which have impacted art so widely, were produced right down the road from me at Pacon. I’m honored to be able to share its presence with our community.

"The natural surroundings of the Pacon building inspired me - the open sky above and the swallows who hung around as I painted are intertwined with the hand of the artist as he interprets them. The mural pays tribute to the artists who use Pacon and Strathmore’s papers - and invites viewers to explore their own creativity - by reminding us that imagination knows no boundaries," said Chad Brady, Mural Artist.

Pacon continues to expand and grow their business to offer the most dynamic range of paper-based school products and art materials under the sun. Pacon is proud to offer brands such as Fadeless® Paper, Bordette® Borders, Tru-Ray® Construction Paper, Art1st® Art Papers, Classroom Keepers® , Creativity Street®, and WonderFoam® .

Included in Pacon’s family is Strathmore Artist Papers™. Strathmore® has been a leading supplier of fine art papers for over 120  years and was founded with the belief that better paper makes better art. Strathmore provides artists of all levels with the ideal surface for producing beautiful works of art, no matter the choice of medium.

Pacon is headquartered in Appleton, Wisconsin with manufacturing and warehousing facilities worldwide. Occupying approximately one million square feet, Pacon is able to ensure production capacity and inventory to service the market on a global basis. For more information, visit Pacon.com.

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