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Shown are some of Matt Duquette's mural designs. (Courtesy of Carnegie Art Center)
Shown are some of Matt Duquette's mural designs. (Courtesy of Carnegie Art Center)

Art show to celebrate 12 Niagara County murals

Submitted

Mon, Apr 18th 2022 12:20 pm

‘Niagara County By The Numbers: An Interactive Mural Trail’ celebrated at Project 308 Gallery

In 2020, Lockport artist Mike Weber of Niagara County Entertainment partnered with Natalie Brown, program coordinator of the Carnegie Art Center, to create an interactive mural trail in Niagara County. The plan was for this project to feature a series of 12 new murals installed across the county (one per municipality) and painted by 12 different artists. Each mural would be a 5-foot-by-7-foot image featuring iconic imagery of each location – and could be colored in by passersby.

Eight out of the 12 murals are complete, with the final four to be done this coming spring. The public is invited to visit each mural and color the images with chalk. To celebrate the mural project and encourage the public to visit each mural this Summer, an exhibition will take place at the Project 308 Gallery (308 Oliver St., North Tonawanda) featuring artworks by the 12 participating artists. The public is invited to the opening reception of the exhibition from 6-8 p.m. Friday, May 6.

A press release noted, “Starting May 11, several of the artists will offer discounts on future commissions. So, if you're looking to hire an artist, it's a good opportunity to shop the various skill sets on display. Simply take a selfie in front of the artist display and share that on social media – and, of course, tag them to receive the posted discount.”

The list of where to find the 12 murals, their completion status, and the artist who is working on that mural includes:

•Town of Porter, Falkner Park

Artist: Timothy Martin 

Mural is complete. All are welcome to visit and color it in.

•Town of Newfane, WAHI Studio parking lot

Artist: Jessica Tomaino (of WAHI Studio)

Mural is complete. All are welcome to visit and color it in.

•Town of Lockport, Daisy’s Adventure Park at the Kenan Center 

Artist: Cindy Meal (owner of Lamplighter Art Gallery & Gifts)

Mural is not complete yet, but will be soon.

•Sanborn/Cambria, Niagara County Community College 

Artist: Michael Weber (Michael Weber Arts) 

Mural is complete. All are welcome to visit and color it in.

•Town of Royalton, Gasport Volunteer Fire Co.

Artist: Matt Duquette (12 Grain Studio) 

Mural is not complete yet, but will be soon.

•North Tonawanda, Carnegie Art Center

Artist: Sal Anello (Canvas Crashers)

Mural is not complete yet, but will be soon.

•Town of Hartland, Hartland Town Park

Artist: Mark Weld (Weld Signs) 

Mural is complete. All are welcome to visit and color it in.

•Town of Pendleton, Uncle G’s Ice Cream

Artist: Robin Damiano (Damiano Arts)

Mural is complete. All are welcome to visit and color it in.

•Village of Lewiston, Artpark concessions building

Artist: Dayna Hazlett (DaynaFX)

Mural is complete. All are welcome to visit and color it in.

•Town of Wilson, Brownie’s Custard Stand

Artist: Nikki Milley (NikkiMDesigns)

Mural is complete. All are welcome to visit and color it in.

•City of Niagara Falls, Aquarium of Niagara

Artist: Amira Moore 

Mural is complete. All are welcome to visit and color it in.

•Town of Somerset/Village of Barker, David Barker Park

Artist: Nin Bogue (Bogue Art Studios)

Mural is not complete yet, but will be soon.

•Designer of all of the murals: 

Matt Duquette – Motherland Studio in Lockport

Shown are some of Matt Duquette's mural designs. (Courtesy of Carnegie Art Center)

••••••••

Weber said he hopes this interactive mural project will encourage creativity and tourism while highlighting the history of Niagara County.

The artwork on each mural represents its location, with the name of the town, city or village, as well as historical and iconic images highlighting the best reasons to visit that community.

“I conceived of the idea, and what I wanted to do was unite the county with a trail,” Weber said. “Making the murals ‘color-by-number’ adds an interactive component and allows the community to be involved.”

Each mural will be accompanied by a plaque containing more information about the project, including a brief history of the town and GPS coordinates of each mural location so visitors can easily find each mural in the various towns and color them in with chalk. The plaques will also provide a key to assist children and adults as they “color by number” with chalk.

Organizers said, “This new public art initiative will allow the community to not only view but also participate in the arts in a safe environment. This interactive mural initiative is free and accessible for anyone who would like to partake.”

Weber said the murals will “feature different aspects of each community that residents can be proud of and visitors can learn more about.” For example, a fire hydrant will be on the Lockport mural, because fire hydrants were invented in Lockport.

“We are thrilled to be the site for the mural celebration and exhibition,” said Brown, owner of Project 308 Gallery. “This type of interactive art project is a perfect way to unite the county, showcase the amazing artists who live here, and make the arts accessible for all.”

The group exhibition at the Project 308 Gallery featuring artwork by all 12 of the participating artists will be on view from May 6 to June 11. The gallery will be open 3-7 p.m. Wednesdays, and by appointment.

Weber and Brown said they hope the group exhibition at the gallery will shed light on the interactive mural trail and encourage folks to visit each mural. The public can learn more about each artist on the interactive mural’s Facebook page.

This project is funded by the New York State Decentralization grant facilitated by Arts Services Inc. and the Grigg Lewis Foundation.

Questions from the public about this project can be emailed to [email protected]. “Like” “Niagara County By The Numbers: An Interactive Mural Trail” on Facebook for updates: https://www.facebook.com/interactivemural.

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