LivCo Walls Mural Festival | July 9-23, 2022
Throughout the world, large-scale murals are appearing on buildings in big cities and small towns. These colorful public art pieces provide a “sense of place” to wherever they are installed. The murals engage citizens and visitors, help tell a community’s story, celebrate arts and artist, and add to the attractiveness and character of places. It also goes without saying…murals make amazing backdrops for selfies.
Livingston County is celebrating outdoor art murals by hosting the LivCo Walls Mural Festival from July 9 to July 23. The festival is bringing nine world-class muralists to nine Livingston County villages during the month of July. For three consecutive weekends, the murals will be unveiled and celebrated in each community. It is the first-ever county-wide mural festival hosted in New York State.
The murals are part of Livingston County’s Inspirations Trail – a 90-mile self-guided tour through the nine downtown districts. It’s meant to inspire and encourage locals and visitors to discover new businesses and destinations.
During the mural festival, each village is using their mural unveiling as a cornerstone event by hosting their own unique artistic celebrations throughout the day. There will be sidewalk chalk art, rock paintings, live performances, food, family fun, artist demonstrations, local shopping and so much more.
Nine Murals. Nine Villages.
Here is a rundown of the mural celebrations and locations. Make sure you give yourself enough time for exploring these small, yet wonderful villages.
Saturday, July 9, 2022
Village of Lima
Lima’s mural is created by Abigail Penfold of East Aurora, NY. Her piece is located at 1883 Rochester Street and will be dedicated by the town’s mayor at 1:00 p.m. From 12 noon to 4:00 p.m. a slew of activities are planned, including a farmer’s market, live music, a scavenger hunt for art, kids crafts and more. Stay the night or have a meal inspired by Mom’s home cooking at the American Hotel of Lima.
Village of Caledonia
Tim Parsley from Fort Wayne Indiana is the artist who is creating a mural at 3103 Main Street. A dedication will take place at 3:00 p.m. Caledonia will be in full celebration mode with art activities and live music on Main Street from 2:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Right next to the mural is a great 1950’s themed ice cream shop called Reminisce Soda Fountain. Step inside and enjoy one of their old-fashioned hand-dipped malts and milkshakes.
Village of Avon
The mural is located at 79 Genesee Street and will be dedicated at 5:00 p.m. Ivan J. Roque, a Cuban-American artist from Miami, is the creator of this piece. The town is closing down Main Street for an artistic celebration from 2:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. A great stay is awaiting at the Avon Inn – an elegantly restored mansion built in 1840. Some of the inn’s more notable guests were George Eastman, Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, Harvey Firestone, Mrs. Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Katharine Hepburn.
Saturday, July 16, 2022
Village of Livonia
Rochester artist Justin Suarez captures the natural world in his large scale works. Suarez’s mural is located at 16 Commercial Street and will be dedicated at 1:00 p.m. From 12 noon to 3:00 p.m. a celebration will take place featuring music, food vendors, and painting activities. People drive for miles to enjoy Ember Wood Fire Grill’s scratch cuisine that uses the best ingredients from sustainable sources.
Village of Leicester
Artist Kacy Jackson, from Louisville, KY, is known for colorful paintings. His mural is located at 134 Main Street and will be dedicated at 3:00 p.m. A handful of downtown Leicester businesses will host artistic demonstrations throughout the day. There will also be a sidewalk chalk art exhibition and a children’s craft tent. Located on Main Street, outdoor enthusiasts love stopping by the Trail Otter – a store that specializes in hiking, camping and backpacking gear.
Village of Geneseo
The husband-wife team of Andrei Krautsou and Julia Yu-Baba from Minsk, Belarus are the creators of Geneseo’s mural. Their creation is located at 125 Main Street and will be dedicated at 5:00 p.m. From 12 noon to 9:00 p.m. stroll the town’s Main Street and watch plein air artists create their paintings. Children can have a blast decorating and flying paper airplanes in the Village Park. When visiting Geneseo, wine lovers enjoy visiting Deer Run Winery for their handcrafted Finger Lakes wines.
Saturday, July 23, 2022
Village of Mount Morris
An artist named Ouizi from Detroit is the creator of the mural at 83 Main Street. Activities in Mount Morris go from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., with the artwork being dedicated at 1:00 p.m. Mount Morris will be hosting food trucks, artistic demonstrations, sidewalk sales on Main Street, children’s activities and live music. While Mount Morris is known as one of the gateways to Letchworth State Park, there are plenty of shops and restaurants to explore on Main Street.
Village of Nunda
Chicago’s Matthew Mederer will bring his realism style to the mural at 60 North State Street. The piece will be dedicated at 3:00 p.m. Plan on staying awhile, as the town has over 20 artsy activities happening between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. A stained glass demonstration, a fiber art demonstration and street piano players are just some of the activities scheduled. Located only minutes from Letchworth State Park, The Whistling Farmer Pub receives rave reviews for their American cuisine with one-of-a kind twists.
Village of Dansville
The mural is created by Arlin Graff from Sao Paulo, Brazil. It is located at 175 Main Street and will be dedicated at 5:00 p.m. Dansville has a whole slate of activities planned from 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., including professional chalk artists, children’s arts and crafts activities, poetry, beer & wine garden and much more. Visitors looking for a craft brew and some pub food should visit Battle Street Brewery – a former train station turned restaurant.
The LivCo Walls Mural Festival is poised to celebrate art in big (the murals) and small (the villages) ways. Let art be your guide for fun, exploration and adventures. You never know what you might discover along the way.