Murals have become an essential part of community public art programs and a vital part of providing a living and sustainable wage to hard working, entrepreneurial artists. This is particularly true for smaller cities with fewer outlets for creatives.

In 2024, the team from the National Mural Awards will be reaching out to mid-sized cities across the Southeast with the goal of increasing awareness about the awards nomination process and advocating for the importance of this surging, but often overlooked art form.

As a part of this upcoming outreach, Local Arts Agencies (LAAs) and other community groups can engage us at the NMAs to foster and lead engagement, education, and discussion on the subject of murals and their importance to communities.
Opportunities include:

▪ 48 Hour Mural Festival – Murals and other forms of public art are often used to entice people to frequent neighborhoods that are in the first stages of experiencing a cultural revival. Traditionally, this revitalization happens incrementally over a period of months to years. For those looking for a more immediate transformation, however, the National Mural Awards presents our 48 Hour Mural Festival.

▪ Forums & Workshops – Featuring our award winning mural artists, the NMA team can facilitate discussions for a wide array of audiences in your town, from capacity-building sessions for artists on the business of mural creation to community forums focused on activating murals as a part of neighborhood-specific community revitalization projects.

▪ Student Engagement – Murals are an ideal platform for engaging young energetic people. The NMA team can facilitate one-time or multi-day programs for high school and college-age student groups both introductory and advanced.

▪ Demonstration Projects – What better way to celebrate murals in your town than to create a new one? Our team can tap into our database of artists, including past award winners - or work with local artists to create a demonstration project that fosters and increases awareness of both the medium of mural art, and the neighborhood where the art is being presented.