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Fort Myers Mural Society highlights murals, conservation technique and tourism reach
Summary
The Fort Myers Mural Society told the CRA board about public-art projects including a River Basin installation and McCollum Hall mural, new conservation techniques and digital tools that the group says have generated broad online engagement.
Sherry Shifrin, executive director of the Fort Myers Mural Society, presented the group's mural work and described its civic and tourism goals, conservation techniques and mapping tools for visitors.
Shifrin said the society began in 2016, now has 84 artists on its roster and works with a public-art review process that includes neighborhood representatives. She described a water‑soluble‑cloth technique the group began using locally to create murals that bond with concrete and are resistant to weathering. "That technique has never been used in Fort Myers. We initiated the technique," Shifrin said.
Shifrin highlighted projects including a McCollum Hall mural that commemorates the Chitlin' Circuit and a River Basin pictorial project with audio components; she also discussed Lions Park sidewalk art tied to the city's Go Bond park improvements. She said the society operates a mural app and is creating a downloadable map of mural locations; the group credited marketing support with broad social engagement and said its tracking showed audience interactions from 82 countries and "over 1,000,000 likes, shares, and comments" tied to recent marketing campaigns.
Why it matters: The society's work ties public-art installations to cultural storytelling, park improvements and tourism promotion. Board members and staff discussed ways to make interpretive materials (QR codes, downloadable maps and AutoCast audio) more accessible to visitors.
