GREEN BAY, Wis. (WFRV) – Originally intended to be a project to simply showcase his passion for art and tell a story about NFL fandom and the spirit of Green Bay, a local artist’s mural raised nearly $17,000 for local non-profits during the 2025 NFL Draft.
Local artist Zane Statz painted a 70-foot-long tribute on a fence across from Lambeau Field, titling a mural Green Bay Gives Back, showcasing NFL fans and some dogs who paid money to be painted on the fence.
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“I had the idea of doing some special mural around the NFL Draft using the attention to try and benefit the community,” Statz said. “I came up with the idea of having fans pay to get their likeness or somebody else’s likeness on the fence and using those funds to donate to charity.”
All of the money was donated to three charities in the Green Bay area, a total of $16,750 being split between GRIT 920, Freedom House and 23’s Cleats 4 Kidz.
This is the 13th mural Statz has painted on Lombardi Avenue, and the 80-hour project was unique, not just because it raised thousands of dollars: It was entirely self-funded, unlike most of his other work.
“I spent about 80 hours on the project itself; there was no sponsor behind it,” Statz said. “It was completely self-funded, and me doing it for fun.”
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Statz worked with a Minneapolis illustrator, Craig Nordeen, as he created custom character portraits of the fans on the fence. Statz followed up by hand painting each one with his own colors and details.
Wisconsin native comedian Charlie Berens helped out as well, kicking off the campaign and providing his voice to help promote the fundraiser, and his face is shown on the fence as well.
