“This year’s City of Mural Community Festival is August 19th through August 24th. We will be in three different places across the Bay City area, Bay County. One is on the south end, 1321 Broadway Street, where Indiespot is. The other two are on the west side of the city in the Midland Street Business District: the Unclaimed Freight building and at Buoy 18.
Many people don’t know that Bay City used to be called ‘Mural City’, and the goal of this festival is to support public art in this community. United We Go is all about bringing people together and festivals do that very well. We bring that idea of ‘togetherness’ to the murals and artists, as well.
We have nine artists creating our three murals this year, meaning three artists will be collaborating and working on a wall together. For communities to be successful, we’ve got to work together. You’ve got to walk with other people. That’s true in everything else as well: our families, where we work, everything.
I want to challenge our artists to do the same thing. Everybody’s style is different, and over five days, they have to figure out how to create something together that looks cohesive. They will need to create harmony from the chaos, just like we all have to in our own lives. They’ll have to work together, learn from, and share with each other for it to work.
I know our nine artists will do so well, and I want to invite everyone to come out, visit the vendors, and watch the artists’ progress at the three locations from August 19th to August 24th.
At this years’ United We Go City of Mural Community Festival, along with the three different murals being painted, we’ll also have vendors and live music - more details coming soon!
Then, each of the three murals will have opportunities for visitors to be hands-on with painting the murals, as well. Our community is asking the question, ‘How do we keep people here?’ and one way is to give opportunities to participate, to create ownership. People looks at the mural from last year’s festival and say, ‘Hey, that’s my handprint!’ It might seem like a small thing, but even feeling small pieces of ownership of a community is important.”
–Gina Anayana, United We Go and the City of Mural Community Festival
Mural Locations:
Indie Spot: 1321 Broadway St.
Unclaimed Freight - Ace Hardware: 706 E Midland St.
Buoy 18: 960 E Midland St.
Event Timeline:
August 13th: Andy Warhol Day at Willew Lounge - Festival Kickoff
August 19th-24th: Mural Painting
August 25th: I AM YOUTH Fashion Show at Buoy 18
August 28th-31st: Mural Unveiling at Dry Dock
