Wide Open Walls: new art on the streets of Sacramento

730 R St, mural by Miles Toland

Wide Open Walls is Sacramento's mural festival, and it's happening right now--from 10th to 20th August--on the streets of Sacramento. With over forty artists from near and far, from Sacramento and California and Spain and Italy, England, New Zealand and more. The festival is adding more beautiful art to Sacramento's already very cool collection.

An early-morning walk today revealed the murals in various stages; from cleaned and prepped walls, ready for the first splash of paint, through sketched-on designs and partly-finished designs, right through to a beautiful, finished work (by Miles Toland, on the SMUD building at 730 R St.)

Cristina Angelina, working the wall near to the Jade Hotel, setting of the Art Hotel project

These murals are huge, taking up whole sides of buildings; covering worn brick and distressed stucco, surprising you as you walk past a place that only last week, had nothing to show you.

But wait... there's more to come. The festival runs until 20th August and by then, not only will the city be more beautiful, it will have enjoyed many Wide Open Walls events, including mural tours every day, both on foot and on bike; gallery openings, and culminating with the Wall Ball on 19th August. The Ball is an arts-themed fundraiser for arts education.

All information about the festival can be found here on the website, and if you have the "in the Sac" app on your phone, there too. Find out about the founders and organizers, and all of the sponsors who are helping to make this happen!

Beginnings... this one by Lora Zombie on R

Go for a walk. See the new art. See it grow and flourish over the next few days... it's already amazing!

More photos here, in the Wide Open Walls gallery: more will be added as the festival progresses.

Other Sacramento art collections:

Art Street
Art Hotel
Street Art (Sacramento and elsewhere)