Event at Tender Mercy today supports Dayton mural project

Dayton artist Atalie Gagnet is the creator of the WHOA Mural Project. CONTRIBUTED

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Credit: CONTRIBUTED

Dayton artist Atalie Gagnet is the creator of the WHOA Mural Project. CONTRIBUTED

Dayton muralist Atalie Gagnet, creator of the newly conceived WHOA Mural Project, is spearheading a mural festival scheduled to take place Saturday, Aug. 3 coinciding with the Downtown Dayton Partnership’s annual Art in the City festivities.

The WHOA Mural Project’s vision is to have multiple national and regional artists converge to share their mural process with the Dayton community with the primary goal of painting in unison. The organization’s mission is to contribute to the “growing public arts with a celebration of multiple murals in the downtown Dayton area” as well as “support artists and recognize their value.”

This mural created by Atalie Gagnet is located next to the former site of Gilly's in downtown Dayton. CONTRIBUTED

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Gagnet, a Dayton native who previously lived in Chicago and New York, has created over 40 murals since 2003. Her expertise has been seen all across the U.S., including the Guggenheim Museum. She has also locally and internationally managed and installed outdoor murals up to 7,000 sq. ft. for Architectural Digest for Art Basel Miami. She hopes the mural festival will be an encouraging and inspiring means of enriching and supporting the Dayton arts scene.

“I’ve participated in mural festivals and I’ve seen what they can do to change a city’s energy and perspective,” Gagnet said. “The concept of the festival is to bring in outside artists to influence the Dayton arts scene, artists and the community.”

This mural created by Atalie Gagnet was created for the Rosewood Arts Center. CONTRIBUTED

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A special fundraiser for WHOA Mural Project will take place today from 6-8 p.m. at Tender Mercy, 607 E. Third St., Dayton. There will be entertainment, a raffle for a free mural, a photo booth, and other surprises. The vibe is casual and organizers hope to raise $7,000. Suggested donation to win special prizes is $20.

“I have six artists booked, three are internationally renowned with one flying in from Rotterdam just for this event,” Gagnet said. “There will also be one local artist and two artists from Cincinnati.”

For more information, visit whoamuralproject.com or visit the project on Instagram: @whoa.mural project.

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