Welcome to your weekly scooop of mural & street art, opps, events, and media curated by the BE team. Since 2012, Beautify Earth has supported art on the streets through local art productions and digital media. Edited by Moral Masuoka. Header art by Gus Harper. Also available on Substack.
I saw them last weekend at Hidden Door Festival in Edinburgh and WOW. They released their first album this year so let's show them some support! "Genre-bending quartet Idiogram’s music blends influences from post-prog, rock, electronic, ambient and classical. Live bass, drums, keyboards and guitar interface with digital processing and combine to form a sound that is equally technological and organic, occasionally confusing, and oceanic in scale. Moods and emotions swing wildly between dense, melodramatic bombast and sparse, ambient void-gazing – often moment-to-moment. Unconstrained by convention or expectation and reflecting a shared love of the weird and the beautiful, the result is a compelling musical journey, all delivered with irreverent joy."
Gus Harper is a Los Angeles based artist who has been creating and selling art around the world for the past 18 years. His most notable series are “Signs Of A Benevolent Universe” (inspired by the search for beauty in everyday sights and situations), “Minor Identity Crisis” (inspired by the quest to overcome fear as we become the best versions of ourselves), and his newest “Sojourner Art” (inspired by the artist’s travels around the world). The general theme of his work is spiritual growth, optimism, and character development. “I think how we view the world impacts everything around us. My goal is to share the spectacular in the everyday. The simple, direct approach often tells a profound story."
by Harold Rosenberg, Dissent, 1958 & Cedar Lewisohn, Vandalog, 2017 -- Following the 'Public Art Machine' essay shared last week, these essays add to the conversation on the quality of art we are creating in public space and how we engage with public art past overenthusiastic praise in instagram comments. Rosenberg's essay focuses on how we critique kitsch art separate from traditional art criticism while Lewisohn address the "explosion of kitsch in street art" through power dynamics. If we continue on the tracks laid by these ideas I hope we can begin to make more space for independent public art by artists whose work reflects and encourages independent critical thinking over popular validation. Rosenberg Article (also appears in 'Tradition of the New') + Lewisohn Article
by Jessica Gelt, LA Times -- "ICE protests downtown had a powerful backdrop: the 1990 Barbara Kruger mural ‘Questions,’ which interrogates the very nature of power and control." Read more
by Wesley Case, The Baltimore Banner -- "Inviting Light, the public art project funded by a $1 million Bloomberg Philanthropies grant, places a spotlight on Station North and Baltimore artists like Phaan Howng, Tony Shore, Zoë Charlton and more." Learn More
by Dañiel Martinez, LA List -- "Excitement was in the air Saturday morning as people from around Los Angeles gathered at Fair Oaks Burger in Altadena to witness the unveiling of a new Robert Vargas mural dedicated to the community several months after the Eaton Fire." Read on
by Jeremy Stern & Ben Marvell, BBC -- "More legal art walls could be rolled out following a successful trial in Melksham. The project was started by Wiltshire Council in September 2024 as a means to combat illegal graffiti in the town and give local artists the opportunity to showcase their talent." Check it out
by Les Roka, The Utah Review -- Interview with Philadelphia-based mural artist Ash Ryan as part of the 49th Utah Arts Festival, which runs June 19-22. Read interview
by Claire Bishop -- "Artificial Hells is the first historical and theoretical overview of socially engaged participatory art, known in the US as “social practice.” Claire Bishop follows the trajectory of twentieth-century art and examines key moments in the development of a participatory aesthetic. This itinerary takes in Futurism and Dada; the Situationist International; Happenings in Eastern Europe, Argentina and Paris; the 1970s Community Arts Movement; and the Artists Placement Group. It concludes with a discussion of long-term educational projects by contemporary artists such as Thomas Hirschhorn, Tania Bruguera, Pawel Althamer and Paul Chan.” Add to TBR
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May 30 - June 29, 2025
Birmingham, England, UK
"The Epic Story of Graffiti has landed at Bullring and it’s unmissable.The exhibition doesn’t just capture the artwork, but also storytelling, culture, and a whole movement!"
June 18 - 25, 2025
Sun Prairie, WI, US
"We are thrilled to be able to feature the artwork of nine talented artists from across the country who will bring their vision to life on the Washington Mills building this summer. Each one with their own unique style influenced by our own Georgia O’Keeffe. We encourage you to get to know them, follow them and support their art in Sun Prairie and beyond."
June 21 - 29, 2025
Covilhã, Portugal
"Between 21 and 29 June, Covilhã will once again be the home of Urban Art, or rather, of artistic creation in public spaces. Because the 12th edition of the oldest urban art festival in Portugal will feature a multidisciplinary programme of intense creation and occupation of public spaces, aiming to continue to set itself as an example of transformation of the territory and the community through Art and Culture, continuing its mission of cultural decentralisation, inclusion and social and territorial cohesion."
June 23 - 29, 2025
Oslo, Norway
"Oslo Street Art Festival is an annual public art project with the aim of strengthening local identity and civic pride. Artists from different backgrounds and disciplines are invited to make work on the streets, with dissemination activities such as workshops, guided tours, lectures, film screenings and exhibitions."
June 27 - July 27, 2025
Linsfort, Buncrana, Ireland
"Coast is a group exhibition which explores the space where the land meets the sea. To coincide with And So I Watch You From Afar, by Aindreas Scholz, artists were invited to interpret this theme in their unique styles, through any medium."
Beautify Earth is looking for wall partners to donate their walls for the following community art programs. Interested parties can email hello@beautifyearth.com or learn more here --
Blue Earth Street Art [LONG BEACH, CA + GLASGOW, SCOTLAND + GLOBAL]: a mural and street art program connecting people to underwater ecosystems and communities through original artwork by artists who critically engage with marine ecosystems.
Community walls [GLOBAL]: open spaces for early career and non-professional artists to work on new techniques and ideas.
apply by: June 20, 2025
compensation: $50,000
location: Fort Pierce, FL, US
about: The FPRA is excited to announce a Call for Artists for two upcoming mural opportunities as part of its ongoing efforts to enhance public spaces, foster local culture, and promote creative placemaking in the City of Fort Pierce.
apply by: June 20, 2025
compensation: $7,800
location: Wyoming, MI, US
about: Godwin Mercado and the City of Wyoming are seeking a talented artist to create a mural on alpha paneling.
apply by: June 20, 2025
compensation: $18,000
location: Pittsfield, MA, US
about: Let It Shine! Public Art Partnership is seeking an experienced artist to paint a 30-foot by 40-foot mural in downtown Pittsfield at 7 North Street in Summer/Fall 2025.
apply by: June 22, 2025
compensation: $25,000
location: Redmond, OR, US
about: The City of Redmond's Commission for Art in Public Places (RCAPP) invites artists and artist teams to submit proposals to install a painted mural in downtown Redmond.
apply by: June 29 2025
compensation: $500,000
location: Chicago, IL, US
about: This Request for Proposals (RFP) seeks qualified consultants to carry out a comprehensive inventory, documentation, and condition assessment of the public art collection. By engaging in this comprehensive inventory, assessment, and documentation, DCASE aims to further its commitment to the long-term care of public art in Chicago.
apply by: June 30 2025
compensation: $250
location: Global
about: Our ongoing Call For Art is open to emerging artists worldwide for their chance to submit art and appear on Collective Arts products such as beer, spirit bottles, non-alcoholic beer and cocktails, merchandise, and more. Selected art will be featured and released on our products available anywhere and everywhere you can buy Collective Arts.
apply by: July 1, 2025
compensation: $6,500
location: Peterborough, Ontario, CA
about: First Friday Peterborough’s 2025 Mural Project aims to celebrate and contribute to the vibrancy of our downtown and local arts community by establishing a large mural in a prominent, accessible, and visible location. Artists are invited to propose a design based on the theme of Art, Community, and Connection. Preference will be given to artists who have a connection to Peterborough and/or the Peterborough arts community.
apply by: July 11 2025
compensation: $7,500
location: CA, US
about: CALI Catalyst provides unrestricted grants of up to $7,500 to California changemakers who are creating tangible impact within the arts and culture sector by shifting power and influence to underrepresented voices.
Beautify Earth was built by and for our community with a shared vision of supporting local artists and art initiatives. Our team is committed to not only creating more art in communties but advancing practices of how and why we produce art in public space. Every donation makes a difference and allows us to support more artists and engage more communities. To discuss supporting at a larger scale or partnerships please email hello@beautifyearth.com.
Are you are a city, business, developer, or NGO interested in sponsoring our editorial content or original mural art? We're seeking sponsor partners interested in shaping the future of mural art and supporting local artists and public art initiatives.
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