- Artists will be selected by the tourism committee.
- The new murals will adorn two buildings in the center of downtown.
- Watch the video to learn when artists submissions will start.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
A $14,000 dollar grant will fund nature-inspired murals on this downtown Monticello building and on this one too. I'm Lentheus Chaney, your Monticello neighborhood reporter, exploring how this project will benefit our neighbors, visitors and local artists.
Monticello is one of 25 towns selected from 850 nationwide. Austin Hosford, chair of the Jefferson County Tourist Development Council, says the murals will inspire visitors to explore the town beyond the art.
"This mural project is going to do a wonderful job of highlighting exactly what we have here and putting it in our downtown to show off what we've got and to bring more people here to see what we have," Hosford said.
The murals are part of a project created by the Florida Wildlife Corridor Foundation, connecting communities across North Florida. Tourist Development Coordinator Theresa Sterling says it's a great way to highlight the state's natural gems, like the Monticello Ecological Park.
"The project is wildlife specific to Jefferson County we are the tip of the Florida wildlife corridor and that's what kinda started this project for us," Sterling said.
Visible to all that pass through town, Lindsey Masterson, a local graphic designer and visual artist says murals add an element of safety and grants provide opportunities otherwise difficult for artists to find on their own.
"Murals help people slow down so there's a lot of positive benefits to murals for both the artist and the community," Masterson said.
Sterling is calling on Florida artists with experience in large-scale painting to submit design proposals. Submissions open for three weeks starting in March. In Monticello, Lentheus Chaney, ABC27.
