open call for murals

The Art Seen Festival Committee is seeking family-friendly muralists from the Great Lakes Bay Region of Michigan from any artistic style. We are dedicated to furthering the emerging arts scene in our increasingly diverse population, in Midland County, Michigan.

Art Seen Festival seeks to strengthen our Midland County, Michigan, community through vibrant mural making and live music. Accessible public art is a meaningful way to connect people to feel seen, heard, and included. Art Seen Festival is a part of Public Arts Midland, which is a community run initiative of the Midland Area Community Foundation.

Art inspires us and propels us forward while bringing voice to diverse experiences, and people. Public art gives our community a collective voice and a way to express our values while it brings awareness of and beauty to both the physical and cultural landscape of our city. This work aligns with our larger Midland County vision statement which reads, “Midland County: an inclusive community. Together. Forward. Bold. An exceptional place where everyone thrives”.

Community mural making is the Festival’s flagship experience, offering a “paint by number” component to allow community members to leave their mark and contribute to the work while bringing a muralist(s) concept to life. Please keep in mind that the final design will have to be intentionally designed to allow maximum community participation. If there is a feature in the mural the artist wants to paint on their own, that is allowable, but the majority of the design needs to be in the “paint by number” style. 

This year’s mural space is located in the Village of Sanford at Harry’s Sewer at 351 West Saginaw Road, Sanford, MI 48657.