Nurturing Community Involvement in Murals

Creating mural art is more than just an artistic endeavor; it's an opportunity to infuse life, color, and shared identity into public spaces, fostering community involvement and promoting a sense of belonging. During my time as a mural artist, I’ve had the opportunity to work with an incredible cast of individuals. From startup founders and real estate developers to school administrators, it’s been a joy to create murals that are meaningful to their local communities, a small yet ever-present reminder in everything we share. Here are a few tips to help take your mural project from good to great.

Encourage Community Participation

Involving the community in your mural can be the key to setting a foundation for a unique and meaningful piece of public art. One approach is to simply organize a community brainstorming session. Whether it is made up of local residents, a group of business team members, or even extended relatives for a family project; this platform offers a place for everyone to collaboratively express the unique emotions, ideas, and heritage they wish to see depicted in the mural.

Town councils are often overlooked in this process, especially for smaller projects but can be valuable partners. Their permissions, resources, and contacts offer incredible access to the broader community. In my experience, it’s been one of the most supportive places to go to get in touch with the communities wants and needs with a simple prospective phone call.

Stay Active in Communication

Successful community engagement and support often hinges on visibility and interaction. After the initial designs are created, and the community is familiar with the project, keep them in the loop! Posting regular updates about the mural's progress, using local hashtags, and inviting area publications or businesses to share the excitement can make all the difference when raising awareness and generating support for your project. Encourage residents to engage by sharing photos, posting about the project, and providing your favorite stories about how the design came to be.

A Personal Anecdote

In cities and towns across the country, there’s a ever-growing need for beauty. In Ames, Iowa, where I began my muralist career, I found a tremendous passion for local storytelling and art. Wedding venues wanted to share loving and inspiring messages, elementary schools engaged with their student through playground sidewalk art, and public beautification projects sought to tell everyone about the love and joy that comes from their local businesses and residents. My goal is for each piece of artwork to resonate with the community that it lives in, a pop of color and a spark of joy to anyone who walks by.

For a project in Williamsburg, Iowa, I became involved with a mural project after connecting with a local property developer through an acquaintance at a local business. We worked together to come up with a design that would capture the cherished parts of living in Williamsburg. This simple concept of sharing the love for this community led to ’How Lucky are we?’, an artwork whose purpose is to evoke the feeling of being at home.

That mural may be my favorite public art piece I’ve ever created. The combination of local resident input with the freedom to work in my style and color palette created exciting breakthroughs in my creative process and led to a design that was loved by the entire group of stakeholders.

Celebrate

Completion of your mural should be a community celebration, a time to recognize and appreciate everyone's involvement. A mural unveiling event can serve as a thank you to the community and spark ongoing interest in the arts, and be enjoyed in tandem with local celebrations or business events. These celebrations can foster continued community spirit, provide networking opportunities for future projects, and mark the beginning of the mural's life in the community.

Conclusion

In short, by encouraging community involvement, being open to partnerships with local town councils, and creating a unique story for each project, I’ve been fortunate enough to work on projects that are truly meaningful me and the loving communities they find their homes in today.