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M4 Factory Commissions Urban Street Art Mural to Modernize the Perception of Manufacturing 

The 45-year-old, female-owned and operated plastics injection molding facility manifests its vision of U.S. plastics manufacturing — a place of creativity and production — via the project.

Grace Nehls, Former MMT Editor

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Asta mural at The M4 factory.

Asta mural at The M4 factory. All photo credit: The M4 Factory

The M4 Factory (Woodstock, Illinois), a 45-year-old female-owned and operated plastics injection molding facility, continues to modernize the perception of U.S. manufacturing by commissioning an urban street art mural from renowned traveling muralist, Lauren Asta.

M4 Factory is said to be focusing on modernizing the view of U.S. manufacturing through a thoughtful approach to design, engineering, tooling, and manufacturing products made of plastic. More importantly, M4 sees a factory as a place of creativity and production, where dreams become reality. To support that vision, art patron, M4 owner and CEO, Patricia Miller, is bringing global art and design culture to the Illinois-based facility.

Calling upon Asta, who has murals throughout the country and world, to interpret the process of bringing ideas to life using her trademark fun character-driven style, Miller says she has found a way to inspire her team and the community they live in.

“I am not just painting large murals nationwide as an advertisement for my work. I am attaching my brand to those whom I am inspired by and share vision with. There is a direct connection to what M4 does in creating products and the process that I follow for creating my art, collaboration, creativity and purpose,” says Asta.

For Miller and Asta, supporting female entrepreneurs that are making a difference in the world is a top priority. “I had seen Lauren’s work in Chicago, and loved the black and white style, its gender neutrality and clear vision. It was important for me to partner with a strong female artist like Lauren to manifest our vision of bringing art and creativity to the factory and community,” says Miller.

Asta mural up close.

Miller continues, saying “It’s important to us to participate in the gentrification of the community,” noting that the M4 factory sits on a prominent corner at the gateway to the town. The mural has already reportedly garnered consistent interest from the citizens of Woodstock. Asta comments that she has had people from the community checking in periodically on her progress and forming a relationship with her while she was working on the four-week project.

Art and creativity prove to be a critical part of the M4 Factory philosophy, and reinforcing that message is a critical part of its mission to modernize the view of U.S. manufacturing, and support the Chicagoland community its staff call home.

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