Newburgh Mural Project Launch Party

The Newburgh Mural Project announced today that it will begin work next week on the first mural in a five-mural series that will be painted in the City of Newburgh by award-winning Chilean muralist Francisco “Dasic” Fernández. A launch party to kick off the Project is scheduled for 3 p.m. Sunday, April 29th at the Ann Street Gallery at 104 Ann Street in Newburgh. As a part of the launch party, young artists from the community have been invited to attend to meet Fernández, learn about his work, and brainstorm concepts for the final mural in the series.  Reporters are invited to attend the event to learn more about the Newburgh Mural Project. Its founding partners and the artist will be available for interviews.

The Newburgh Mural Project is a public art and education program with a mission to inspire the growth of arts and culture in the community by transforming public spaces into public works of art celebrating the City of Newburgh’s spirit and vibrancy. In 2012, the Project will develop five large-scale murals in the City of Newburgh; provide local youth with an opportunity to learn about mural-making; and will work with the youth to develop other public art projects.

The Newburgh Mural Project has been created and funded by: the Institute for International Education, with support from the Ford Foundation; Safe Harbors of the Hudson; the Ritz Theater; The Boys & Girls Club of Newburgh; The Greater Newburgh Partnership; and City of Newburgh residents Decora Sandiford & Jenny Loeb.

The theme of the mural series, Life in Colors, is a tribute to the City of Newburgh’s enduring spirit and abounding potential through art that celebrates Newburgh’s past and future.  Transcendence (mural 1) will be painted on the east wall of the Ritz Theater, 111 Broadway; that work is slated to begin May 3. Roots (mural 2) at 33 Chambers St. (private residence) and Inspiration (mural 3) at the Boys & Girls Club of Newburgh, 285 Liberty St., will begin in May and June, respectively. Commencement dates and locations for Freedom (mural 4) and Transformation (mural 5) will be announced at a later date.  The theme was developed by the founding partners, and the titles and images of the individual murals were chosen by the organizations and individuals sponsoring the walls on which the murals will be painted.

“Large-scale public art has had a proven, positive impact on urban revitalization and we believe Newburgh— in part because of its growing arts community—is a perfect candidate for a public art initiative,” noted the Ritz Theater’s Tricia Haggerty Wenz. “Dasic Fernández has extensive experience working on large-scale art in communities like Newburgh, and his work, with its origins in graffiti, is an excellent medium to inspire and engage Newburgh’s youth.”

Dasic Fernández is an award-winning Chilean-born graffiti artist based in Bronx, NY.  His murals can be seen in cities all over the world, including Austin, Chicago, Detroit, New York, Toronto, São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Buenos Aires. Known in part for the role his work plays in the revitalization of blighted urban cities, Fernández has a passion for finding ways to reflect a community’s history and values in the art he creates.

To see mural abstracts, a timeline of events and to follow progress, visit www.newburghmuralproject.wordpress.com or find us on Facebook and Twitter (#newburghmural).

2 Comment

  • I’ve always thought the east wall of the Ritz theater was a work of art the way it is – still don’t understand why people are in such a hurry to cover it up!

  • I’ve always thought the east wall of the Ritz theater was a work of art the way it is – still don’t understand why people are in such a hurry to cover it up!