NEWS PHOTO MO CRANKER
Local artist Jeff Goring spray paints a small mural at a colour run early last month. Goring is hosting the city's first Mural Fest which is taking place July 12-13, 2019.
mcranker@medicinehatnews.com@MHNmocranker
Six walls in downtown Medicine Hat are set to get serious face lifts next week.
On July 12 and 13 three local spray paint artists and three international artists will take part in the city’s first Mural Festival organized by local artist Jeff Goring.
“This is a really exciting time for us,” said Goring. “They’ve been doing these in major cities across Canada for a while now so it’ll be a fun opportunity to do one in Medicine Hat.
“This is a great opportunity to bring artists in to beautify our city.”
All of the walls that are set to be painted were donated from building owners to the festival and the artists will get two days to create a mural for the space.
“We approached building owners for walls we though would be good for murals – one of the locations is actually a rooftop,” he said. “A few of them are more high-profile walls so the artists really have a good chance to have their work seen by a lot of people.”
The festival will take place during a Downtown Art Walk and Goring says the festival is a great way to clean up a few of the downtown walls.
“Some of the spaces are already covered in old tags so the new art will be a great addition,” said Goring. “The old stuff has usually been sitting there for 10 years or so and it’s just not that nice to look at it.”
Goring says anyone is welcome to come out and watch the artists do their thing.
“The artists are all super friendly and are happy to answer any questions people have,” Goring said. “On top of that they’re all incredibly skilled and the artists we’re bringing in are recognized on the world stage.
“They’re all great people and great artists.”
Goring says he is hoping to make this a yearly event for Hatters.
More information on the festival can be found on Facebook by searching ‘Medicine Hat Mural Fest.’
