City set to kick off Paint on Port

Unveiling of piece made of art from throughout the continent will signal start of program intended to bring multiple murals to city

A MURAL MADE from tiles painted by people across the country, including some in Port Washington, will be installed on the facade of the Twisted Willow restaurant in Port next week and unveiled at 2 p.m. Thursday, April 6.
By 
KRISTYN HALBIG ZIEHM
Ozaukee Press staff

Port Washington residents will get their first look at a multi-colored mural created with tiles painted by people from throughout North America Thursday, April 6.

The mural, which will be installed on the north wall of the Twisted Willow restaurant building at the corner of Pier and Franklin streets earlier in the week, will be unveiled at 2 p.m.

The unveiling will also be the kickoff of “Paint on Port,” a program intended to bring three to four murals to locations throughout the city during each of the next three years.

“This is mural No. 1,” Kristina Tadeo, executive director of Port Main Street Inc., said of the Mural Mosaic. “We’re looking to do four murals beyond that this year.

“We’re going to kick it off with a bang.”

Paint on Port is a joint project between Main Street and the City of Port Washington, which is providing $38,000 annually to start the program.

“Even though that seems like a lot of money, we are doing some fundraising for this as well,” Tadeo said, noting these extra funds could cover artists’ cost of meals, travel or equipment rental.

“It could maybe even help us dream bigger and commission an artist and piece for downtown,” Tadeo said.

Main Street has a call out for artists to create the murals, Tadeo said. Artists must submit their designs for the murals by May 21, and a committee will then select those that will be done this year.

Artists will be notified of their selection by June 9, and the murals will be created between Aug. 25 and Sept. 1.

The murals are intended to reflect Port, its history and culture, Tadeo said.

“We want them to be murals that tell the story of Port Washington, but you can interpret that in many ways,” she said.

The call for artists notes Port’s lakefront location, its history and collection of pre-Civil War buildings, fishing and boating traditions, beaches and marina. It also reflects the fact Port is a designated Monarch City, Bird City USA and is on the historic lighthouse tour.

The call for artists states that the Paint on Port murals will be created on the south wall of 107 N. Franklin St., the west wall at 547-549 Grand Ave. and the west wall at 110 E. Main St.

In addition to these murals, Tadeo said there will be a wall each year designated as a community mural. This year, the wall will be designed and painted by adults with disabilities, a project to be overseen by Rodrigo Santamaria, who works at Prime Horizon in Port and Balance in Grafton.

The new murals will compliment the existing painted walls already seen in some parts of Port, Tadeo said, adding that at some point a mural walk could be mapped.

“I don’t think people realize how many there are already,” she said. “I think this is a fun project. It’s something people seem passionate about in the community. It’s been a long-term effort.”

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Wisconsin’s largest paid circulation community weekly newspaper. Serving Port Washington, Saukville, Grafton, Fredonia, Belgium, as well as Ozaukee County government. Locally owned and printed in Port Washington, Wisconsin.

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