Streetwise Arts director pitches mural festival to Superior committee, seeks funding and partners

Leah, executive director of Streetwise Arts, told the CAPS advisory committee that Streetwise has prepared a proposal for a mural festival and is aiming for a council presentation on Feb. 9. She said CAPS has already committed $25,000 but the draft budget assumes a mix of partner cost shares (often modelled at 50%) and other revenue; several committee members warned partner contributions are not guaranteed and that could leave a $10,000–$25,000 shortfall depending on which walls are included.

The committee discussed possible mural sites downtown (noting blocks 10 and 11, the Sports Stable plaza area and a large west-end wall) and flagged practical constraints: some large candidate walls are owned by a private developer (referred to in discussion as “Carmel”), permission from owners will be required, and brick walls may require metal panels or additional scaffolding — costs that are not yet included in the proposal. Leah said she will gather estimates for panel options and per-wall costs.

Leah went over the proposed schedule: finalize an agreement or MOU in February, negotiate wall partnerships in March (with a fallback plan using town-owned walls if private partners decline), launch a call for artists in April, and target final designs and approvals by June so artists can receive deposits and travel as needed. She estimated artist work time at roughly one to three weeks per large wall and shorter periods for smaller sites.

When asked about financial logistics, Leah said her organization could manage funds and artist payments if that is the committee’s preference, and suggested a 50% deposit to start. Committee members asked staff to prepare alternate budgets that assume Carmel does not partner, and to include lower-cost “plan B” scenarios centered on town-owned walls and panels. The committee agreed to rework the proposal as discussed and directed members to contact Carmel to give advance notice before the Feb. 9 council presentation.

“There’s a real opportunity for this to be a strong, visible contribution to downtown,” one member said, while noting the ask to the town depends on whether private cost-sharing materializes. The committee did not authorize a final funding increase at the meeting; it instructed staff to prepare revised budget scenarios and to bring the proposal to council with contingency options. The committee also discussed ways to integrate workshops and educational programming to strengthen future eligibility for arts funding programs.

Next steps: staff will prepare a modified budget if Carmel declines to partner, committee members will reach out to the property owner to start negotiations, and the revised proposal will go to the town council on Feb. 9 for consideration.