Five professional muralists have been announced for the 2025 Paint CHQ mural festival, taking place in September in four different Chautauqua County Communities: Dunkirk, Falconer, Sherman, and Westfield. The five artists not only come from across the United States, but two also come from Canada and Europe. The Paint CHQ initiative is a joint effort between the Chautauqua County Partnership for Economic Growth and Chautauqua County Department of Planning and Development.
Five muralists have been selected to paint four large-scale murals for the inaugural Paint CHQ Mural Festival in September.
The Mural Festival will kick off at 5:00 p.m., September 12 in Westfield, with other community events in Dunkirk, Falconer, and Sherman continuing all day on Saturday, September 13.
The Chautauqua County Partnership for Economic Growth (CCPEG) and Chautauqua County Department of Planning and Development (CCDPD) announced that the Paint CHQ advisory team settled on five different artists for this year’s event:
· Dunkirk – Alain Welter (Luxembourg)
· Falconer – Mandi Caskey, aka “Miss Birdy” (Columbus, Ohio)
· Sherman – Emily Ding (Houston) and Justin Suarez, aka “Aerosol Kingdom” (Rochester, N.Y.)
· Westfield – Dom Laporte of DRIFT Mural Co. (Ottawa, Ontario)
Paint CHQ is a new initiative intended to help focus on the important role public art plays in placemaking and strengthening local communities. Coordinating the effort is Alexandra Hall from A H Public Spaces Consulting, LLC, who has assisted with other community mural projects around the country.
The muralists will begin work in late August, and all four murals will be completed by September 13. The public is encouraged to visit the participating communities during the mural installation process.
Those locations are:
- Dunkirk: The Coburn Block, 123 Central Ave.
- Falconer: State Lanes, 16 E. Main St.
- Sherman: The Cornerstone Restaurant, 104 E. Main St.
- Westfield: Grace & Abe’s Westfield, 14 N. Portage St.
In addition to the installation of the murals in each community, Paint CHQ will also feature Artist Talks from September 8 through 11. Each Artist Talk is a free event open to the public and the public is encouraged to meet with the muralists, hear about their careers, and ask questions. The full Artist Talk schedule can be found online at ChooseCHQ.com/PaintCHQ.
Paint CHQ also features an Apprentice Program. The Paint CHQ Apprentice Program offers professional artists and aspiring muralists an opportunity to garner valuable experience installing large-scale murals. Participation in this project increases their artist network and helps artists build their resume. Local and regional artists were encouraged to apply to participate, and the local artists selected to be involved in this program are: Carrie Blitz, Angela Caley, Rose Crane, Pamela Corsoro, Jackie Damore, Jackie Doyle, Darcy Farkas, Lily Foster, Sam Gast, Jessica Joy, Chris Labuskes, Kenneth Labuskes, Jewel Lin, Melissa Meyers, Sara Baker Michalak, Victoria Parker, Joseph Rice, Jenna Robino, Erin Ruffino, and Stacey Seleen.
For more information about Paint CHQ, visit ChooseCHQ.com/PaintCHQ.
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