Activities with Emporia’s Community Art Alliance are gaining momentum.
Visit Emporia Director LeLan Dains says the goal is to reframe how public art is viewed — and valued — in Emporia.
Conversations began last year and led to two significant mural projects — one at Las Casitas Park designed by Emporia native Deon Morrow and one at Earthly Delights that drew over 300 residents to help with the painting process.
The Art Alliance follows a $20,000 increase in the Visit Emporia budget for enhanced public art opportunities. A 12-person steering committee is in the early stages of determining how the new funding should be directed. Plans include more murals, as well as new art festivals or art-based events and semi-permanent public artwork.
For more information, call Visit Emporia at 620-342-1600. Dains says the Art Alliance is looking for collaborations on several levels, including with artists, businesses and “spaces” for new art projects.
