July 6, 2017
MEDIA INQURIES
Contact: Brandon Darnell, Visit Sacramento, bdarnell@visitsacramento.com; 916- 765-1304
Contact: Patrick Harbison, Wide Open Walls, patrickharbison@gmail.com; 916-747-9143
Visit Sacramento Joins as Presenting Sponsor to Wide Open Walls
Event to Add 40 New Murals to California’s Capital City
Sacramento, Calif. – Visit Sacramento is partnering with Wide Open Walls to build on the success of last year’s Sacramento Mural Festival and highlight the rich culture of public art in Sacramento. They will bring more than 50 local and internationally acclaimed artists together from August 10th through the 20th to add to the city’s extensive collection of murals.
“Sacramento’s arts community is a critical asset in marketing this city as an attractive visitor destination,” said Mike Testa, Visit Sacramento president and CEO. “We believe that this event raises the profile of our arts community, the aesthetic vibrancy of our Central City, and the overall prestige of the market; we are thrilled to play an important role in helping to ensure the festival’s success and reach outside of the market.”
Last year’s Sacramento Mural Festival brought 11 new murals to the city’s walls. This year, Wide Open Walls organizer David Sobon is looking to significantly increase that number. For 2017, Sobon is doubling down on the effort, broadening the canvas to include other parts of the city, and expanding opportunities for the community to participate and interact with the artists.
It’s a rare opportunity for the public to watch the artists while they work, and event organizers plan to coordinate the live painting with gallery showings, First Friday and Second Saturday celebrations, public mural tours, artist panels and more.
“We are thrilled to partner with Visit Sacramento, an organization that believes in the value of public art in our beautiful city,” said Sobon. “We have created the largest mural festival on the west coast featuring 50 artists from over 12 countries. This truly is a game changer for our region.”
Participating artists include:
Adnate
Artners Collaborative
Askew One
Bryan Valenzuela
Caratoes
Christina Angelina
DDSO – The Mural Project
Demetris Washington
Few and Far Women
Franceska Gamez
Guido van Helten
How & Nosm
Jake Castro
Jeff Musser
Jeremiah Kille
Jeremy Stanger
John Horton
Josh Everhorn
Jorit Agoch
Jose Di Gregorio
Kinetik Ideas
Lopan and Ernie Fresh
Lora Zombie
Ludo
Maren Conrad
Micah Crandall-Bear
Michael McDaniel
Miles Toland
Nosego
Okuda
Phlegm
Raphael Delgado
Roy Gonzalez
Shaun Burner
Sol Collective
Stephanie Taylor
S.V. Williams and Molly Devlin
Tavar Zawacki
Trav
Tyson Anthony Roberts
Waylon Horner
More information including sponsorship opportunities can be found at: www.wideopenwalls916.com or follow the event on Instagram @wideopenwalls916_.
About Visit Sacramento
Visit Sacramento is a private non-profit, destination marketing organization funded primarily by assessments paid by hotels into tourism marketing district. Visit Sacramento is the premier economic development and services organization for the region's convention and tourism industry and plays a leadership role in helping the region compete to bring events, conventions and business meetings to Sacramento. Brands operating under the Visit Sacramento umbrella include America's Farm-to-Fork Capital, Sacramento Sports Commission (Sac Sports), Sacramento365 Sacramento Film Commission (Film Sacramento), and Sac Event Crew.
About Wide Open Walls
The Wide Open Walls mural festival is taking place from August 10th through the 20th, 2017. It will bring over 40 artists – local, national and international – to the Sacramento area. This year’s event adds to the region’s already venerable history of mural painting – which has produced over 600 murals over the last 40 years. The festival celebrates the relevancy and diversity of street art, and will transform walls and neighborhoods throughout the downtown area and beyond.
