PORT ANGELES — A fresh splash of color is coming to downtown Port Angeles as the Port Angeles Waterfront District hosts its first West by Northwest Mural Festival this weekend.
The event runs Friday and Saturday at The Hub in the Waterfront District, where five artists will paint original murals on live. Visitors can watch the process, talk with the artists, and learn how public art projects come to life.
Sam Grello is Executive Director of the Waterfront District.
“We’ve got muralists painting original works down at The Hub in the Waterfront District this Friday and Saturday. It’s open to the public all day, with brief presentations from noon to 2 p.m. on both days about how murals are made and how artists get commissioned. It’s a great opportunity to come down and see what goes into creating a mural and to make public art,” said Grello.
Grello says more than 55 muralists applied, with five selected based on their interpretation of the theme, “Who is Port Angeles?” The murals will be painted on panels and later installed around the city later this summer. Each mural will be about 96 square feet and designed to last for decades.
Murals will be affixed to walls on the Easy Pawn building, Studio Bob, Country Aire, and the back of Cabled Fiber & Yarn. A fifth site will be announced soon.
Grello, says the festival is part of a larger revitalization effort to make downtown more vibrant and inviting.
“It’s all about revitalization for us—bringing fresh life into the Waterfront District. We see it as an economic center for our community. How do we attract new, young families to our community? One way to do that is through public art and creating a more inviting place to be.”