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Downtown Modesto’s buildings become artistic canvasses again as the DoMo Walls Festival returns.
Eleven traveling and local artists will create large-scale murals on five outdoor spaces during the annual project.
The public can view them in action from Monday, Sept. 29, through Friday, Oct. 3, according to a press release from the nonprofit Downtown Modesto Partnership (DoMo), which presents the festival.
“Downtown visitors are invited to linger and enjoy shopping and dining as artists’ work continues throughout the week,” the release said.
DoMo Walls has been curated by local artist Aaron Vickery, known as “Fasm,” since it began in 2018.
“It’s a celebration that transcends borders, with muralists contributing their diverse styles and stories onto wall-sized canvases that add to our city’s ever-evolving tapestry,” the press release from DoMo CEO Heidi Savage said.
The end of the week’s painting will be celebrated with the season finale of DoMo First Fridays, a monthly downtown street festival held April through October.
The program’s first-ever Community Mural will be painted by Modesto Junior College art students and instructors with the theme “We Beat Together,” to represent Modesto’s community heart.
Also planned is the completion of Mural Alley, with artwork on the last remaining private property space behind a portion of J Street.
It will mark the 16th mural along “this beloved, art-seeker’s destination,” the release said.
Artists this year are:
- Illuminaries: A Bay Area- and San Diego-based mural and design collective founded in 2017 with Steve Ha, Tim Hon and Eric Nodora. They will paint at Skewers Kabob House, 821 L St.
- Abigail Sebastian, Joyce Sebastian, Lauren Berlin and Brooke Thomas: The team, which joined in a 2022 Modesto Junior College class, will paint the Community Mural in the alleyway behind Dragonfly — Art for Life, 1210 J St.
- Sam Dominguez: This Modesto-based artist and craftsman will complete Mural Alley at the Beaty Building, 1014 J St.
- Max Sansing and Camer1 (Cameron Moberg): Chicago muralist and fine artist Sansing and San Francisco muralist Camer1 will combine for a mural at 920 12th St.
- Kyle Sanders: This artist from Eureka will work in the alleyway of the Family Justice Center, 1418 J St.
For more on DoMo Walls, including donors and sponsors, see domowalls.com.
