Downtown Milwaukee , you may have heard, is going through quite the renaissance/reboot/reimagining etc. The lowly Shops of Grand Avenue are transforming into “The Avenue.” The long-vacant Warner Grand Theatre is transforming into the new home of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra. That hot dog guy who works the corner of Wisconsin and Water is prepping his jorts as we speak. And now, you—yes, you—can leave your mark on Downtown, too. A big mark.

Enter a public call for the Westown Gateway Mural, a project that aims to install a new 50-foot-by-80-foot mural on the west-facing facade of 622 W. Wisconsin Avenue. Want to be the lucky muralist? You have until April 18, 2019 to submit a proposal.

Here’s the project overview:

As part of a series of new projects aimed at enhancing downtown’s ‘third spaces,’ Milwaukee Downtown, Business Improvement District (BID) #21, in partnership with the Downtown Placemaking Task Force and Westown Association, issue a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for “The Gateway Mural Project,” located on the west-facing facade of 622 W. Wisconsin Avenue. The Gateway Mural Project is a district-defining art installation and part of the Westown renaissance.

West Wisconsin Avenue is a vibrant and diverse street anchoring the Westown neighborhood. With more than $1 billion in recently completed, under-construction and proposed commercial, residential, hospitality and infrastructure projects in its vicinity, West Wisconsin Avenue is once again becoming the surging heart of downtown Milwaukee.

The West Wisconsin Avenue and North James Lovell Street intersection bustles with the continual interaction of a wide range of Westown residents, workers, students and visitors alike. The area is also a main thoroughfare for automobiles and transit users that are traveling east-west and north-south though Westown to different destinations. The diversity of users that connect at this particular location in downtown Milwaukee is unique and as such should be noted.

Lifted by the momentum from a significant series of new investment, it’s time to celebrate the ongoing renaissance, renewed energy, and unparalleled opportunity that exists on Milwaukee’s main street with this new public art project.

The overview further states that the mural “is part of a larger series of recent projects administered by the Downtown Placemaking Task Force, including Wisconsin Avenue utility box murals in 2017, and ‘Migration,’ a mural in the Jefferson Street pedestrian tunnel in 2018.”

Neat! The lucky artist will be given a budget of $17,000 to create their mural, which will be installed in June 2019. Check out the Request For Qualifications for more info.

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Co-Founder and Editor

Matt Wild weighs between 140 and 145 pounds. He lives on Milwaukee's east side.