Great Falls is getting some new ‘Great Walls’ for the sixth year of ArtsFest Montana, with artists coming in from all over to paint nine new murals around the downtown area.
The Great Falls Business Improvement District began ArtsFest Montana six years ago, renaming the event this year “Great Walls." They have since helped to install 48 murals in the downtown area, and have plans to add nine more this week.
Kellie Pierce, director of the Business Improvement District, explains, “This originally started as a partnership with NeighborWorks Great Falls, as kind of a way to create some vibrancy. It's also a great way to make the alleys feel safer so that people can navigate through downtown, have something great to look at, but also have that sense of safety when they're traveling through downtown”.
The murals are completed with spray paint, as the artists only have one week to complete their murals. Some already got to work over the weekend, mapping out designs and priming their workspace.
The artists that create these murals are a mix of artists from Montana and from out of state, with some hailing from Mexico, Spain, Indiana, and California, resulting in a diverse variety of designs and styles.
The Business Improvement District has partnered with artist/curator Cameron Moberg of San Francisco, California, for the past seven years to help recruit local, national, and international artists to contribute to the murals.
Sisters United, a nonprofit organization founded by Farmer's Daughter Fibers owner Candice English, supported ArtsFest with a grant to bring two indigenous artists to contribute their work to ArtsFest. These artists are @Urbanaztec and @onesevennine.
The Business Improvement District said in a news release:
Sisters United was started in 2019 by Candice English of the Farmer's Daughter Fibers. Sister's United's goal is to help support the healing of Indigenous Women, Children and Community. Their focus is often related to art and its healing aspects so it was really important to Candice and Sister's United to have Indigenous representation Downtown Great Falls through the murals. The murals bring a sense of community and invoke creative inspiration and wonder. To have Indigenous Representation further these themes by showing inclusivity but also sharing our Culture with the community and its visitors.
On Thursday, August 22nd, the Business Improvement District will host an Artist Reception in the alley behind Dragonfly Dry Goods (504 Central Avenue) at 7pm. Visitor can meet with the artists to discuss their process and watch them paint live, followed by a live auction.
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Sponsors of ArtsFest Montana include NeighborWorks Great Falls, ANG Holdings, Dragonfly Dry Goods, Speaking Socially, Susan Wolff, Montana Credit Union, Sletten Construction, and Downtown Summer Jam.
Other artists contributing to the murals are: @Camer1sf and @FASM, @Farid_Rueda, @Conse.arts, @Alex_Ann_Allen, @Emily_ding, @TravMSK and @sub_urban_warrior.
For more information about ArtsFest Montana, click here.
