GREAT FALLS — Paint, lifts and plenty of color have returned to downtown Great Falls as artists from across the country spend the week creating new murals.
The work is part of Great Walls Great Falls, the annual mural festival running through Aug. 22.
Watch Madison Collier's report here:
Among this year’s visiting artists is Naomi Haverland of Orlando, Florida. On her first trip to Montana, she is bringing an unexpected western scene to the side of a future downtown business… a cowgirl riding an alligator.
Haverland said the western theme was her only real direction. The rest of the design was left up to her.
“The creative freedom is key,” Haverland said. “Having a wall owner that’s willing to take the risk of trusting me and letting me do my own style, that’s a huge plus.”
She has participated in several mural festivals this year, and says the events give artists an opportunity to learn from one another while completing their own work.
“It’s definitely the ideal painting situation because I get to hang out with other artists, learn from other artists, and have sort of a social environment in addition to getting the work done,” she said.
Great Walls, formerly known as ArtsFest Montana, began in 2019 as an effort to address blight and bring more color to downtown walls and alleys. Now in its eighth year, the festival has continued to grow alongside the city’s mural collection.
Although artists complete their work over several days, planning for the next festival starts up again as the current festival comes to a close.
Kellie Pierce, executive director of the Great Falls Business Improvement District, said curator Cameron Moberg spends much of that time researching artists and deciding whether their work will be a good fit for Great Falls.
Once they arrive, local restaurants and other community partners help provide the visiting artists with meals, housing, paint and supplies.
“They’re totally taking care of us,” Haverland said. “They’re definitely treating us kind of like royalty.”
That support lets the artists focus on the walls in front of them, but the finished murals keep drawing attention long after the festival ends.
Pierce explained that visitors have traveled from across the state specifically for mural tours. She said convention groups have also requested walking tours, and a recurring group of art students from Power visits each fall.
“You miss a lot of them if you’re driving in a car because you’re not going down the alleyways,” Pierce said. “You’re not going into kind of the nooks and crannies where these beautiful murals are.”
The BID has created an online, self-guided walking tour with photos, descriptions and locations for 68 murals throughout downtown.
Festival events continue throughout the week. A public reception for the artists is planned Thursday, Aug. 20, behind the Times Square Building. The event will include live music, food, drinks and an opportunity for members of the public to try spray painting. Artists will also create work on canvases that will be auctioned to support next year’s festival.
Several downtown businesses will remain open from 5 to 9 p.m. Friday, Aug. 21, for an art walk. Visitors can watch the muralists finish their work, find artists featured inside participating businesses and create their own sidewalk chalk art.
For Haverland, the week is also a chance to finally bring an anticipated design idea to life.
“I’m really excited to see this design finished because it’s one that I’ve actually had in my back pocket for a while,” she said. “I think it’ll be a really cool mural, and I hope people enjoy taking pictures with it.”
