Artist Alley in Downtown Parkersburg. . . Call for Ideas

Downtown PKB needs your help with their efforts to create a more visually appealing Parkersburg. Here is your chance to use your artistic skills to improve your community!

We are asking you to design an approximately 4’ by 6’ (painted on brick wall) or 4’ by 4’ (painted on panel, only 5 available) design that you and friends or family could paint directly onto a brick wall between Unity Cafe and the Campbell Plaza building. The selected artists will be invited to paint their designs at the painting event on Saturday, June 22!

The space for the outdoor Artists’ Alley extends halfway down the block between 7th and 6th streets, starting at the alley access point beside the Unity Cafe. The surface for most of the mural panels will be primed brick. There will be five plywood panels that can be painted flat then mounted to the vinyl side of the Unity Cafe. We would like to reserve these for anyone with a disability that would prevent them from painting directly onto the wall.

Once completed, the Artist Alley murals will be sealed with an anti-graffiti sealant provided by Sherwin-Williams Paints. Acrylic paints donated by Golden Paints will be available for use and Downtown PKB along with Unity Cafe will provide food, drinks, and musical entertainment for the painting event on June 22.

Mural designs are to be done with a focus on positive images, local interest, landscapes, etc. with unity and inclusivity in mind. Work should stay away from political statements.

The alley will be cleaned, and Edison lights strung in arches across the alley before June.

NOTE: We hope that these pieces will be around for many years, but this cannot be guaranteed because of the nature of the medium. Downtown PKB does reserve the right to replace murals at their discretion.

Deadline for submissions: June 1, 2024 for submission of ideas

Community painting event: June 22, 2024 from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. (artists time is not limited)

Cost: There is no fee for entry

Who can enter: Artists aged 16 and over

Reward: You will be provided with paints and brushes to paint your image on the wall for everyone to enjoy. Lunch will be provided, and a DJ will be spinning tunes while we paint! You can sign your work!

Submission Process:
- Email an image of the mural you intend to paint to amanda@downtownpkb.com. 
  Please attach a good-quality JPEG, PNG or TIFF image.
- In the body of the email include your name, the title of your work, your email address
  and phone number.
- If you have exterior mural painting experience or mural samples, include that information in the body of
your message.
- If others may be joining you in painting your panel, please list them.
- If you are requesting to paint one of the flat panels, write two to three sentences explaining why this
modification is necessary.

More Info:
- All works submitted for the competition must be original works of art. No reproductions of copyrighted or
other material will be accepted.
- Think about how people will interact with your piece. Does it spark joy?
- If your image is selected, you will be invited to join the Artist Alley Paint Out on Saturday, June 22 starting
at 10 a.m. through 2 p.m. You may take more time if needed.
- Direct questions to amanda@downtownpkb.com or info@parkersburgartcenter.org.

Sponsored by the Arts and Culture Committee of Downtown PKB