KENOSHA — A mural project for Downtown Kenosha seeks to add three full wall murals and up to seven additional wall murals to enhance the beauty of the area through public art, fostering community pride, boosting tourism, and supporting mural artists.
The Kenosha Community Foundation, the City of Kenosha, and the Kenosha Creative Space are partnering to launch the Kenosha Mural Project.
By strategically placing murals on prominent buildings, the project will transform underutilized spaces into vibrant landmarks, creating an inviting and culturally rich environment. The project will target locations in downtown Kenosha starting at buildings surrounding the Kenosha Creative Space.
The first mural of the project series is targeted to be completed by Summer of 2025.
The last mural facilitated by the Kenosha Creative Space was the “Kinoje” Mural created by Jaime Brown in 2020. This mural features the Anishinaabe word for pike that the city is named after. The mural has helped increase foot traffic to the downtown area and has become a selfie destination. It’s a popular destination for wedding photoshoots and tourists.
Murals can be a representation of a city even beyond city limits. The “AMC Gremlin” mural, a wall panel mural designed by Francisco Loyola, has been featured in magazines such as the Chicago Tribune. The mural has become an icon of Kenosha.
Murals like these maintain a community’s living history by containing elements like the AMC Gremlin which was once produced in Kenosha.
Projects like these, that include historical and cultural elements of the City of Kenosha, will be prioritized in the selection process.
If you are interested in having a mural located on your building or if you are an artist hoping to be a part of the project please learn more at Kenoshamurals.org.
The call for artists will be released on Tuesday, March 18th with an open house at Kenosha Creative Space (624 57th Street) at 5pm – 7pm the same day.
The number of new murals will depend on the amount of funding that can be raised.
These murals will only be made possible with support from volunteers, sponsorships, and public donations.
The city of Kenosha has supported this project in planning and creating a seed fund to begin the project. The Kenosha Community Foundation will be the fiscal receiver for the project.
Future donations will be accepted by the Kenosha Community Foundation on behalf of the project. This will allow for donations to the mural project to be tax-deductible.
If you are interested in having a mural located on your building or if you are an artist hoping to be a part of the project please learn more at Kenoshamurals.org.
If you are interested in volunteering or helping fundraise for this project learn more at kenoshamurals.org.