In cooperation with public art consultant Alexandra Hall from A H Public Spaces Consulting, the Chautauqua County Partnership for Economic Growth will hold two public informational meetings for Paint CHQ.

The first will take place on Monday, June 9, at 5:30 p.m. at the James Prendergast Library (509 Cherry Street, Jamestown). The second will be held on Tuesday, June 10 at 9 a.m. at the Center for Innovation and Economic Development (CIED) (214 Central Avenue, Dunkirk).

The meetings will provide the public with updates on the locations of the four murals, the process for selecting artists and approving the artwork, a preview of events related to the County-wide festival and mural dedications, and a questions and answers session.

“CCPEG and the Chautauqua County Department of Planning and Development (CCDPD) have been working hard to pull together the many moving part of these projects,” says Rebecca Wurster, planning coordinator for CCPEG and CCDPD. “The June meeting will offer exciting information on where we are at in the planning process, the sites we are locating the murals at, and what the local steering committees have been working on in each of the four communities. We cannot wait for all of the exciting events planned the second week of September and unveiling all of the beautiful murals. We believe that these murals will have a transformational impact on our four municipalities’ main streets.”

Officially announced earlier this year, Paint CHQ is a new public art initiative intended to highlight and bring new interest to communities in Chautauqua County. The project is being coordinated CCPEG, in collaboration with CCDPD. It will culminate with a countywide festival the second week of September that involves the creation of large public murals in Dunkirk, Falconer, Sherman, and Westfield. As part of the initiative, professional artists will be selected to create the artwork. Both the artists and the specific locations will be announced this summer.