Mural Fest 2018

The Department of Public Art (DPA) will sponsor the 5th Mural Fest at Floral Ave. Park in Johnson City on Saturday May 5th from 11am – 4 pm. The Village of Johnson City has welcomed us back to continue to improve the park. “Mural Fest offers everyone a chance to paint—murals for adults and a Box City for children,” according to Peg Johnston of DPA. Organizers also plan to give away art supplies to neighborhood children in conjunction with a grant from the Chenango Co. Arts Council and with the help of The Bridge and Family Enrichment Network.

Mural Fest 2018 participants will work on four projects—improving the inside of the bathrooms, painting the outside of a shed, a mural on panels for the Renaissance Festival at Cutler Garden, and a Dinosaur mural for a factory on Avenue B in Johnson City.

Mural Fest participants will be entertained by a full roster of live music. At 11am Diana Tejera, an Italian singer-songwriter with a gold record will perform. Local band Voodoo Highway (blues-rock and more) starts at 12:15 pm. Adam Ate The Apple playing roots, folk, and rock play at 1:30 pm. Hot Dogs & Gin featuring Eamonn Hubert, a child prodigy guitarist play classic rock at 2:45 pm.

The Dept. of Public Art has created a “Box City” of upcycled cardboard several times so that children can paint and play in them, and take them home. DPA artists will also create cardboard animals for children to paint and keep. Volunteers will prep the cardboard houses April 17th and 24th from 6-8 pm at Avenue DIY, 19 Avenue D in Johnson City.

The Dept of Public Art is a volunteer group responsible for more than 50 murals in the area. The first two Mural Fests were on the MLK Promenade where 30 artists created temporary murals for blighted buildings and then the DPA sponsored Mural Fest on the Northside at Cheri Lindsey Park. In 2017 Mural Fest moved to Floral Ave. Park in Johnson City where four permanent murals were finished.

Mural Fest has received support from Chenango Co Arts Council (DEC NYS Council on the Arts) and the Hoyt Foundation, Town of Union Community Development, Golden Paints, Belknap Lumber, Kovarik’s Hardware, Daniel’s Paints, and other sponsors. Tabling by local groups is free. For more information or to volunteer email DeptofPublicArt@gmail.com or the Dept. of Public Art Facebook Page. See attachment for a DPA Wish List.