JACKSON HOLE, Wyo. — Jackson’s downtown streets will welcome two new permanent murals this spring, along with nine temporary murals, in JH Public Art’s annual WildWalls event.
Local artists were selected for three different opportunities for this year’s WildWalls, during which the art and science communities join forces to raise awareness on our region’s most pressing ecological stories. Blank alley walls are transformed into an open-air gallery from May through September, in a highly visual, interactive, and educational event without the confines of a traditional venue, making it accessible to thousands of people daily.
This year’s WildWalls will kick-off on Saturday, May 21, with a live steamroller print party co-presented with the Arts Association at The Virginian starting at noon and followed by an auction of the works created that day to benefit WildWalls conservation partners. Local artists Ben Roth, Ava Reynolds, and Susan Grinels will be joined by visiting artist Josh Winkler at this event, which is a first for JH Public Art.
The artists are paired with local eco-organizations and are tasked with creating a giant block print responding to recent environmental research. These prints (measuring 4’ wide) will be steamrolled that day and the prints will be both auctioned off and wheat-pasted in downtown Jackson to spark wonder all summer long.
Artists Kika Macfarlane and Helen Seay were selected for this year’s two large-scale, permanent murals. Macfarlane is a visual designer and illustrator based here in the Tetons, and she will be painting a 50-foot-long mural sponsored by Dave Hansen Whitewater and the Snake River Fund, and inspired by the wild and scenic Snake River on the northside of Dave Hansen Whitewater’s Broadway headquarters.
Helen Seay, a visual artist living and creating on the westside of the Tetons, will depict recreating responsibly in bear country in her mural for Shirt Off My Back (on the Pearl Street alley), in partnership with Grand Teton National Park Foundation.
The additional temporary, wheat-paste mural artists are Natalie Connell, Susan Marsh, Nicolette Maw, Mae Orm, and Sarah Wadas.
Mark your calendars for a WildWalls community mural walk on Tuesday, July 19 starting at the Snake River Brewpub.
WildWalls 2022 will again combine murals with augmented reality (AR) features to promote a greater understanding and awareness of the region’s ecosystem through contemporary scientific research. WildWalls AR features will be hosted on the Hoverlay app, available for free on all smartphones. JH Public Art is working with the selected artists and collaborating organizations to generate educational content that brings each mural alive. This year’s AR animations will be created by Kika Macfarlane and Tala Schlossberg.
