The Waterfront District Mural

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by

Ken Pyle
in

TL;DR

The name on the tent was a reminder of why our mural project was part of the April 4th, First Friday celebration organized by Surel’s Place. The Garden City Placemaking Fund has been the vehicle that has been used by artists to fund many of the murals that adorn the buildings and walls of our unique burgh.

Inspired by the Garden City placemaking effort, the Waterfront District mural project is about creating a public art on private property.

The Waterfront District HoA partnered with Surel’s Place on a grass-roots funding approach that relies on individual donations. Surel’s Place, the hub of the Garden City and integral part of the Idaho Arts scene, handles the logistics of managing donations and disbursing project monies. Probably 75 to 90% of the donations have come from people who live in the Waterfront District, while the rest have come from outside the boundaries of the HOA.

Reham Aarti – The heart, brains and hands of the Mosaic Mural

None of this would have worked without the unbelievably generous artist, Reham Aarti. Reham is a world-class mosaic artist who happens to be a neighbor of the Waterfront District. She offered to do this project without commission. In addition to her time and talent, she has donated many of the materials.

It is her ability to organize and motivate an ad-hoc crew of volunteers that has made this project special. She led us through months of meetings that led to the initial build weekend last October. She corralled the talent of 100+ volunteers to create the first portion of the mural. Volunteers from the neighborhood, Reham’s students, and people walking the greenbelt poured their talent and time into the mural.

But Wait, There’s More – Build Day & Opportunity to Donate

To donate to the wall which, at this point, will be going to Reham via Surel’s Place, please follow the link below.

https://secure.lglforms.com/form_engine/s/pZeXmDHumJPWzfTXLcpqDA

Lastly, save the following dates to help us finish the mural.

Saturday, May 31st, 10 AM – 6 PM
Sunday, June 1st, 10 AM – 6 PM