City of Boulder’ office of Arts + Culture announced its newest public art project, Creative Neighborhoods: Murals in which residents will choose muralists to decorate Boulder ‘hoods. Applications open for residents to join the selection committee on Monday, June 30.
From the applicants, Boulder Arts + Culture’s Public Art Program will choose seven Boulder residents who will then select muralists from the 2020 Mural Artist Roster, and allocate funds of up-to $3,000 to each project. Funding for the Creative Neighborhoods Mural Program comes from the Community Culture and Safety Tax. The city has allocated $25,000 for the 2020 program.
Mandy Vink, director of City of Boulder Arts + Culture’s Public Art Program tells BLDRfly that the city will process applicants on a first-come, first-serve basis by neighborhood with priority given to Crossroads, East Boulder, Gunbarrel, Southeast Boulder and University Hill.
“The city has identified nine subcommunities,” says Mandy, “and these are the ones with lower amounts of art in public places.”
These communities also have little or no residential murals from the last Creative Neighborhoods mural call, in 2018.
Public art in Boulder
The Office of Arts + Culture first launched Creative Neighborhoods in 2018 as a way to support and diversify the public art in Boulder’s neighborhoods and provide artists with more opportunities.
Check out the map of its 2018 Creative Neighorhoods: Murals. The city also provides maps for a self-guided tour via bike or car.
Most recently, the program went to work during the pandemic with its Creative Neighborhood: COVID-19 Work Projects, a series of 66 projects including theater, dance, music and visual arts throughout Boulder launched to support artists who lost gigs, got laid off, or had contracts or events cancelled. Several murals took form through this effort, and here’s a list:
- 3310 Arapahoe: new mural by Jason Graves (complete!)
- Grasmere & Heatherwood Drive: new fence mural by Kathleen Lanzoni
- Former Wendy’s near 2700 Baseline Road: new mural by Derek Carpenter and Courtney Goerlitz (complete!)
- Former Wendy’s near 2700 Baseline Road: new wheat paste mural by Edica Pacha (complete!)
- 839 Pearl Street: mural by Tim Longhini (coming soon!)
- Gunbarrel: mural by Julia Williams aka Designosaur (coming soon!)
[Also check out: Murals popping up around Boulder]
Mandy is currently working with mural facilitator Leah Brenner Clack of Street Wise Arts and artist Cindy Sepucha on a mural(s) honoring the Black Lives Matter movement.
Header image: Artist + Homeowner team with finished artwork by Lindee Zimmer. Image: Boulder Arts + Culture.
