Street art and mural event continues to develop hometown pride and community engagement
The Douglas Design District is pleased to announce that their popular Avenue Art Days event is scheduled this year for Sept. 20-22. The event, which recruits artists to design and paint street art and murals in the District, is on its sixth cycle of adding murals to the buildings and businesses along Douglas Avenue, between Oliver and Washington. It’s grown in popularity and support throughout the years, with over 60 murals now currently located in the District.
The entire community is invited out to attend the Launch Party for Avenue Art Days, presented by Intrust Bank, which will take place on August 20th, at the underpass at Douglas Ave. and I-135. There will be a live auction event presented by McCurdy Auctions, as well as entertainment, activities, and food vendors. The 2019 mural locations and artists will be announced at the Launch Party, with residents and business owners joining together to celebrate and support the Design District.
“When we started Avenue Art Days four years ago, we were greeted with a fair amount of skepticism about what this would all really look like,” Janelle King, Avenue Art Days coordinator and owner of The Workroom said, “It’s been really incredible to watch the community really embrace our vision and take ownership and pride in this neighborhood.”
This year’s Avenue Art Days is supported with generous sponsorships from the Knight Foundation Fund at the Wichita Community Foundation, Fidelity Bank, Intrust Bank, KMUW, Legacy Bank, Spectrum Paint, and the Arts Council. For two days, artists and volunteers will spend their time painting murals along the District, culminating in a Community Day on Sept. 22 that encourages the community to come out and walk the District to see the art. This year’s Community Day will again be in conjunction with Open Streets ICT, with Douglas Avenue being closed down from Clifton Square to Delano.
“Coordinating with Open Streets ICT makes such perfect sense because our beautification, public art and engagement efforts in the District are meant to encourage more pedestrian, bike, and now scooter traffic,” Stacy Ward Lattin, DDD Board President and co-owner of Hopping Gnome Brewing Company, said, “It’s really fun to see how many people in Wichita are craving the ability to bike & walk on Douglas, amongst the vibrancy of their favorite murals and businesses.”