The Chautauqua County Partnership for Economic Growth and Chautauqua County Department of Planning and Development have selected five muralists to paint four large-scale, public murals during the inaugural Paint CHQ mural festival in the second week of September.

For the inaugural year, four communities have been selected to host the new murals: Dunkirk, Falconer, Sherman and Westfield. Coordinating the effort is Alexandra Hall from A H Public Spaces Consulting LLC, who has assisted with other community mural projects around the country.

“The Paint CHQ Mural Festival is more than public art, it is a placemaking strategy that activates underutilized spaces, celebrates a community’s cultural identity, and acts as a vibrant storytelling canvas that unites residents, artists, business owners, and visitors,” said Rebecca Wurster, Chautauqua County Department of Planning and Development and CCPEG planning coordinator.

After reviewing requests for qualifications from a number of candidates, the Paint CHQ advisory team settled on five different artists for this year’s event:

– Dunkirk – Alain Welter (Luxembourg)

– Falconer – Mandi Caskey, aka “Miss Birdy” (Columbus, Ohio)

– Sherman – Emily Ding (Houston) and Justin Suarez, aka “Aerosol Kingdom” (Rochester, N.Y.)

– Westfield – Dom Laporte of DRIFT Mural Co. (Ottawa, Ontario)

“We’re excited to have these nationally – and internationally – recognized muralists coming to Chautauqua County in September to create public art for each participating community. It’s exciting to think that in less than two months from now, our county will have not one, but four separate pieces of public artwork created by professional muralists that will help to enhance our communities and generate renewed pride for our residents,” Wurster said.

The muralists will begin work in late August, and all four murals will be completed by Sept. 13. The public is welcome to visit the participating communities during the mural installation process. The Paint CHQ mural festival celebrations kick off on Friday, Sept. 12, at 5 p.m. in Westfield, with other community events in Dunkirk, Falconer, and Sherman continuing all day on Saturday, Sept. 13.

In addition to the installation of the murals in each community, Paint CHQ will also feature artist talks from Sept. 8 through Sept. 11. Each talk is a free event open to the public and the public is encouraged to meet with the muralists, hear about their careers, and ask questions. The full artist talk schedule can be found online at ChooseCHQ.com/PaintCHQ.

PAINT CHQ MURAL LOCATIONS

Property owners have signed up to participate in the mural festival. Locations are:

– Dunkirk: The Coburn Block, 123 Central Ave.

– Falconer: State Lanes, 16 E. Main St.

– Sherman: The Cornerstone Restaurant, 104 E. Main St.

– Westfield: Grace & Abe’s Westfield, 14 N. Portage St.

“All four sites will be active from Sept. 4 through Sept. 12 and the public is encouraged to visit the mural sites to watch the mural progress, but we ask that the public maintain a safe distance from heavy equipment and save their questions for the Artist Talk events,” Wurster said.

In each of the Paint CHQ communities, a local Steering Committee was developed. Each committee consisted of local business owners, local artists, municipal leaders, and invested community members. Over the last six months the groups have developed the artwork, participated in town hall meetings, promoted the public feedback survey, selected the muralist, created design themes, selected the artwork, and joined in festival event planning.

“The Steering Committees, made up entirely of local community members, volunteered hours of their time to ensure that the artwork installed during PAINT CHQ will resonate with locals,” Hall explained. “The themes we see in each piece were informed by those who live and work in Chautauqua County. Through the artwork, they wanted to highlight community assets and celebrate this region–themes that highlight native wildlife, the agricultural industry and the fishing are incorporated into these murals.”

PAINT CHQ APPRENTICE PROGRAM

Paint CHQ also features an Apprentice Program. The Paint CHQ Apprentice Program offers professional artists and aspiring muralists an opportunity to garner valuable experience installing large-scale murals. Local and regional artists were encouraged to apply to participate, and the local artists selected to be involved in this program are: Carrie Blitz, Angela Caley, Rose Crane, Pamela Corsoro, Jackie Damore, Jackie Doyle, Darcy Farkas, Lily Foster, Sam Gast, Jessica Joy, Chris Labuskes, Kenneth Labuskes, Jewel Lin, Melissa Meyers, Sara Baker Michalak, Victoria Parker, Joseph Rice, Jenna Robino, Erin Ruffino, and Stacey Seleen.

“I’ve never done an outdoor mural, and I would like to learn how it’s done while contributing as a volunteer to create art for my community to enjoy,” said apprentice Jackie Damore, who lives near Chautauqua Lake and volunteers for a couple of lake-related organizations. She is also a member of the North Shore Arts Alliance and the Tri-County Arts Alliance and participates in their events, as well as the RTPI Plein Air.

Funding for this project is allotted through CCPEG’s placemaking initiative, and additional funding has come from grant funding through New York State Council on the Arts, Northern Chautauqua Community Foundation, Chautauqua Region Community Foundation, Arts Services Inc., Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation, Lake Shore Savings, and the United Arts Appeal of Chautauqua County.

For more information about Paint CHQ, visit ChooseCHQ.com/PaintCHQ.