You’ve likely seen photos of families and friends posing in front of the mural that includes depictions of the Keeper of the Plains, the Wichita city skyline and other ICT icons. Artist Josh Lupoli painted the mural on the side of College Hill Deli at 3407 E. Douglas as part of Avenue Art Days and it has become a favorite photography backdrop for residents and visitors.
Avenue Art Days showcases local art talent and adds vibrancy to our streets by recruiting artists to design a series of Wichita murals in the Douglas Design District using space donated by some of the district’s 300 locally owned businesses.
Since the start of the mural project in 2015, there have been more than 100 mural installations along this “avenue of creativity,” from the historic College Hill area to the edge of Old Town. Fourteen will be added this year during the seventh phase of Avenue Art Days.
There are several ways to get involved in Avenue Art Days 2021.
GET A PREVIEW: The Douglas Design District invites the public to the Avenue Art Days Launch Party from 6 to 8 p.m. on Aug. 17. The event marks the official kickoff for this year’s Avenue Art Days and will include live music by Craig Owens and Dale Black, a raffle, volunteer sign-ups, the reveal of the 14 new mural designs and a chance to meet the artists. Avenue Art Days is also hosting a live auction for a chance to sponsor a mural and support the artist(s) behind it.
SEE THE ARTISTS AT WORK: The artists will begin creating the murals during the three-day Avenue Art Days and they are challenged to finish in the Sept. 10 to 12 timeframe.
ATTEND THE MURAL CRAWL: The public is encouraged to walk the district and check out the murals on Sept. 19 during Open Streets ICT, a free neighborhood community-building event along Douglas Avenue. Anyone who finds and captures photos of all 14 of the 2021 murals during this mural crawl event, then posts on social media using #AvenueArtDays can earn an Avenue Art Days T-shirt from the event organizers (while supplies last).
The initiative began as a beautification project to help artists and local youth channel their creativity by creating Wichita mural masterpieces that brighten the Douglas Design District corridor, and Avenue Art Days continues to develop hometown pride and community engagement.
Know before you go and brush up on Wichita murals, including those from past Avenue Art Days.