Memorial brings Camp Ripley military paintings to St. Cloud

ST. CLOUD – Specks of sand from the shores of Iwo Jima are hidden in an oil painting hanging at the Minnesota State Veterans Cemetery near Camp Ripley.

Little Falls artist Charles Kapsner mixed the sand — which was brought to Minnesota by a veteran — into the paint while creating a piece depicting the history of the Marines. It was his fourth 8- by 10-foot painting that was part of a project honoring each branch of the military.

His final painting of the series, dedicated to the Air Force, was completed in 2019. All five paintings hang in the cemetery's committal hall.

But a group of St. Cloud-area residents wanted the artwork to be more accessible to the general public — so they raised $150,000 to help fund the project and install a permanent monument at River's Edge Convention Center in downtown St. Cloud.

On Thursday, project representatives dedicated the Minnesota Veterans Historic Art Monument, which features replicas of each painting. The display also features audio and video to share more information about each painting and the history it represents.

"It's been the best project I've ever worked on, primarily because it impacts everybody," Kapsner said, noting almost everyone knows someone who has served in the military.

Kapsner is a classically trained painter who studied in Italy and is known for his fresco paintings. The memorial project was the brainchild of the late Gordon Gerling, a former state representative, who asked Kapsner to be part of the $500,000 project a dozen years ago.

"The compositions — they would come more alive as [I was] working on them because of the people that were there," he said.

It was important for Kapsner to honor and humanize veterans, as well as help the general public better understand how each branch serves the country, he said.

Phil Ringstrom, president of the state's veterans cemetery memorial association, shares the same mission.

"I just think it's a new way of looking at monuments with the concept of the educational and historical aspect that's forever living — because that artwork could convey what's happening today, too," he said.

The association helped establish the cemetery north of Little Falls in 1994. Now the organization is evolving to take on more of an educational role, Ringstrom said.

St. Cloud residents Burt Dubow and Len Wohlman helped raise funds for and plan the convention center memorial, which includes a kiosk where users can push a button to hear a description of each painting.

"My feeling is there are a lot of people that do not understand or know a lot about the history of the various branches of the military — from the start of our country and what they've done since then to today to serve and protect all of us as citizens," Wohlman said.

"The artist has done a great job of showing the relationship between the history of each branch and the history of how the country developed — not just militarily, not just wars but in science, technology," Dubow added. "He also is very good at showing the diversity that developed in the military branches with women and people of color and how they've been integral to each branch."

Kapsner will be at Camp Ripley from noon to 3 p.m. Sunday to talk about the paintings. The convention center display is on the first floor, just below the amateur baseball hall of fame.

Jenny Berg • 612-673-7299