FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For More Information:
Eric King, Fund for the Arts
eking@fundforthearts.org
502.582.0104
Jean Porter, Louisville Metro Government
jean.porter@louisvilleky.gov
502.574.2383
FUND FOR THE ARTS AND MAYOR’S OFFICE ANNOUNCE ARTISTS AND LOCATIONS FOR FIRST-EVER IMAGINE MURAL FESTIVAL
Artists Will Participate in the Imagine Mural Festival
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (August 22, 2019) – Mayor Greg Fischer, together with Fund for the Arts, the Imagine Greater Louisville 2020 Steering Committee and Louisville Visual Art today announced the participating artists in the city’s inaugural Imagine Mural Festival.
The festival brings talented artists from Louisville and beyond together to create public artworks that uncover the untold stories of Louisville’s historic neighborhoods. Smoketown will host this year’s mural festival in October. The central theme is Lean into Louisville, a new Louisville Metro Government initiative that explores and confronts the history and legacy of all forms of discrimination and inequality.
“The Imagine Mural Festival aims to celebrate diversity and promote dialogue through the arts. It’s a unique project that will provide opportunities for artists to interact with residents to tell stories of a neighborhood that others may not know.,” the Mayor said. “We are excited to host the inaugural Imagine Mural Festival in Smoketown with our partners, Fund for the Arts, Louisville Visual Art and members of the Imagine Greater Louisville 2020 Steering Committee.”
“Art and advocacy are a powerful combination,” said Christen Boone, Fund for the Arts President & CEO. “We are excited to partner with talented artists and work with the city on this community-inclusive effort to bring more arts and culture to more people in more places. We believe celebrating our diversity leads to connections, inspiration and collective action.”
Louisville’s Smoketown neighborhood is home to more than 1,600 people. It is one of the first black-founded communities that still exist in Louisville today.
“We’re all excited to see that the mural festival will reflect the long and deep history of the Smoketown neighborhood and the energy and excitement that youth bring to our community,” said Adam Hall of the Smoketown Neighborhood Association.
Attendees of the festival will see the creative process in action and varied styles and perspectives from multiple artists.
“As Louisville Visual Art (LVA) celebrates 110 years of improving lives and communities through visual art, we’re thrilled that our Outreach Director, Katy Delahanty, is contributing her public mural expertise to the inaugural Imagine Mural Festival,” said Lindy Casebier, executive director of Louisville Visual Art. “LVA’s own Mural Art Program employs local artists to empower and revitalize neighborhoods year-round – a key component of our mission, which closely aligns with that of the Imagine Mural Festival.”
The following artists will be participating in this first Imagine Mural Festival by painting murals at these various locations:
Joe’s Neighborhood Food Mart, 542 Lampton St., 40203
Artist: Victor Sweatt, Louisville, KY
Kertis Creative 786 S. Shelby St., 40203
Artist: Liz Richter, Louisville, KY
Loaves & Fishes, 949 S. Jackson St., 40203
Artist: Brandon Marshall, Detroit, MI
Logan Street Basin x 4 murals at basin, 937-967 Logan St., 40204
Artists: Ashley Cathey, Andrei Krautsou, Steam Exchange
Metro United Way, 334 E. Broadway, 40202
Artist: Annie Hamel, Montreal Quebec, Canada
Petro Towery, 813 Finzer St., 40204
Artist: The Art Cartel, Wilfred E. Sieg III, Louisville, KY
WAVE3 TV, 725 S. Floyd St., 40203
Artist: OSRS, Louisville, KY
YouthBuild, 745 S. Preston St., 40203
Artist: The Art of Kacy LLC, Kacy Jackson, Louisville, KY
Terry Zink Property, 702 Logan St., 40204
Artist: Tramel Harold Fain, Jeffersonville, IN
The murals will begin appearing in late September with the Smoketown Neighborhood Association’s “Smoketown GetDown” event, with the festival culminating event on Oct. 12.
For more information, visit www.fundforthearts.org/mural-festival.
About Fund for the Arts
Fund for the Arts is a regional nonprofit with the mission to maximize the impact of the arts on economic development, education, and quality of life in our community. The Fund is a convener, promoter, leader, and driver of Imagine Greater Louisville 2020, the region’s arts & cultural plan. It facilitates the largest arts grant program in Kentucky as well as conducts one of the oldest united arts campaigns in the country. For more information, visit www.fundforthearts.org
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