“We are still focusing on working in different neighborhoods, and looking at where to place the murals, in neighborhoods where they don’t have any public art, or if they are doing really good work in a particular area, we want to help draw attention to that,” she said.
This year, StreetSpark is focusing on the Jefferson neighborhood. The 2025 mural project will be on the Living Water Ministries building.
“This year, that’s what we are focusing on, so we chose a larger site,” Acus-Smith said. “It’s also really important for us to get a sense of what do they want to see in this mural, and getting a baseline there, and then, we put it out to the artists, so we have some information to share with them.”
There were 98 submissions from artists. Right now, the Top 4 semifinalists have been chosen, and they are in the process of creating their designs. Then, there will be a “round two,” of scoring in February and March.
“We are hoping to announce, and show the design in April of this year, and we don’t have an exact date of painting the mural, but it’s typically in the summertime,” said Acus-Smith.
Living Water Ministries also provided some concepts, including “community,” “connection,” “culture,” “opportunity,” “inspiration” and “encouragement.”
“They shared about the neighborhood, that it’s a very diverse neighborhood, and just wanting to see that diversity showcased somehow in the mural, so we put all of that out to the artists, and let them do their magic,” Acus-Smith said. “What the artists come up with varies a lot.”
The Living Water Ministries building at 510 S. 8th Str. is a visible wall, and there aren’t a lot of murals in the Jefferson neighborhood. The mural will cover 1,800 square feet.
“The semifinalists have used a lot of color in their murals, so it’s going to be this cool beacon in the neighborhood of positivity and brightness. Also, a lot of kids are served at Living Water Ministries, so they’ll get to see the mural being painted, observe the process, and maybe even participate in the process, so it’s going to be neat. And I hope the designs chosen really reflects them, and I can’t wait to see it,” Acus-Smith said.
StreetSpark, a public art program in partnership with the Fitton Center for Creative Arts, the city of Hamilton and the Hamilton Community Foundation, was founded to further the creative identity in Hamilton through exciting murals and public art projects.
“There’s such a variety. Certainly, there’s a lot of people who are paying homage to Hamilton, historic issues in Hamilton, and imagery that you see in Hamilton, and that comes into a lot of the murals, but it really does just depend on the location,” Acus-Smith said.
The program fosters community engagement by producing high quality art, providing opportunities for local artists, and enhancing the visual appeal of the city.
Participating artists are made up of college students, art teachers, and professional artists.
“A huge part of the success of the program was the city of Hamilton having a vision, knowing that if we bring public art, this is a very visible way to show people, we’re transforming, we’re changing, and we’re expressing ourselves,” she said. “What it did was create a really beautiful partnership.”
Since the program’s inception in the summer of 2016, 20 murals and 17 utility boxes have been painted in a variety of styles by a number of diverse artists. Each year artists are invited to submit a range of designs, and the winning murals are chosen by a selection committee of local arts professionals and appreciators.
To tour the murals, Acus-Smith suggests printing or downloading a map. She said copies of the map can also be picked up at the Fitton Center.
To download a map that includes the 20 StreetSpark mural sites and 17 StreetSpark Utility Boxes, or for more information about each of the projects, go to www.fittoncenter.org/streetspark.
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