Mural Fest - 2026
This is my first year doing Mural Fest - I’m excited and nervous!
I’ve never done a mural and it’s a whoooolllllle different ballgame from small studio painting!
The camaraderie and the challenge is 100% part of the fun.
Mural painting is physically demanding - we will be working all day for two days in the heat. But I’m hydrating, stretching, prepping and will be ready for action.
Think of it like the World Cup, but for artists. Except it doesn’t cost $1000s to attend - it’s free!
And also not a competition - we’re highlighting individual expression!
The VIBES are HIGH though - like sports.
And I won't say that Mural Fest is full of hot international athletes like the World Cup, but I won’t say it’s not either. You just need to come down and judge for yourself!
Held at ScienceWorks Hands-On Museum
1500 E. Main Ashland, OR
Saturday & Sunday, June 20 & 21
10-6 pm
free - all ages
Come see 26 artists make 8' x 8’ murals in TWO days!
DJs
FOOD TRUCKS
It’s a PARTY
The theme is BELONGING.
These murals will be up at ScienceWorks in the courtyard all summer. ScienceWorks is a community hub that hosts activities and camps for children and families.
Below are the three designs I came up with for my mural.
Which do you think I should do?
And the winner is:
Manor Motel was the fan favorite - by far. My only hesitation was that it didn’t really fit the theme of “Belonging” . To solve that problem, I changed the words to say “WELCOME FRIEND Rest”.
The weekend turned out to be overwhelming cathartic.
The camaraderie among artists hit such a chord in my soul. While I love my current place in the art world - making and selling oil paintings, being in gallery shows, giving talks, aligning with nature loving partners, I was missing something this experience at Mural Fest provided. There is a part of me that came up as an artist in the art room with my similar aged cohort of peers. The energy of this group is just different! Raw, energetic, goofy! I haven’t really been in this atmosphere for a long time - and I have to say - it was emotional! Healing even.
The other piece is that I’ve been part of this community since childhood. Among the artists participating were two people I went to high school with, two artists I went to art school with, an artist I go to the gym with, an artist I am an The Talent Gallery with, an artist I partner with a lot at Vesper Meadow, and two of the organizers are sons of one of my favorite teachers from high school. The threads run deep. I also met and connected with new artists. It felt like being a kid again - except with vastly more maturity and self assurance. So beautiful.
I also have to say too - The Brothers Grime, Jarret Davidson, Rhino Davidson and Jon Davis, did such a great job organizing.
Was the event highly choreographed? Not at all.
Did the flyer forget to mention the location of the event? Yes it did.
Is the website sort of janky with lots of ads? Absolutely.
But did they create an atmosphere where artists felt supported and free to do their work and express themselves? Without a doubt.
And this is the most important part of event planning. Bring people together - make them feel safe, respected and included. The rest will follow!
Gallery below contains some photos I took of a few murals - this is incomplete - and needs accurate and updated references. I need to make sure to document and credit each one.
