FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Marcia Johnson

918-533-1236

MURAL FEST 66 ON MAIN STREET

The Miami Arts & Humanities Council, 66 Cultural District, Miami Regional Chamber of Commerce and the City of Miami will host the second annual Mural Fest 66 event which will feature murals painted by Oklahoma City artists and a local artist. The festival will take place in the 100 block of north Main Street on Saturday, April 28^th, 2018, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The public is encouraged to come watch the artists make these walls come alive. Food trucks, live music, artists’ gallery and a dedicated children’s area are all part of the fun. This project is supported in part by the Oklahoma Arts Council, which receives support from the State of Oklahoma and National Endowment for the Arts. Major donors for this event include INTEGRIS Miami, Chapters, First National Bank, Ace Hardware, Osborn Drugs, Hampton Inn, and PowerUp Rental.

The four OKC artists, curated by the Oklahoma Mural Syndicate, include:

Ana María, “Anamarietta” was born and raised in an agricultural town in the center of the Island of Puerto Rico. Ana studied Animal Sciences at the University of Puerto Rico and graduated in 2005. Known by the local art scene for her Humanoid creatures, Ana’s work has been recognized in multiple cities for the subtle brush stroke and shading of characters that seemed to be taken from a dream of a Biologist with excessive imagination.) http://anamarietta.com/

Yatika Fields was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He is of the Cherokee, Creek and Osage Tribes. In 2000, he traveled to Italy where he studied landscape painting as well as works of art by the masters. He has attended the Art Institute of Boston, OSU and the Oklahoma Arts Institute at OU. He says his process focuses on fluidity of form and boldness of palate, bringing the unseen alive in a way that will inspire in my audience a revelation of ideas, color and form; reshaping their relationship to what they take for granted. https://www.instagram.com/yatikafields/

Jake Beeson whose art is full of super heroes. Jake Beeson is a Tulsa-based artist recognized both nationally and internationally for his use of pop culture aesthetics in work that is celebrated for its genius in combining humor with a signature graffiti style. The illustrator, designer, and muralist is known for art that includes clean lines and bold colors. Beeson's online portfolio can be found at jakebeeson.com, on Instagram (@jakebson), and on Facebook (@jakebeesonart).

Kristopher Kanaly is an artist, designer, photographer and art director from Oklahoma City. With an extensive family history in the arts hailing back to his great grandfather’s gallery, The Colonial Art Gallery established in 1919, Kristopher has grown up inside a family of artists, art collectors, art dealers and graphic designers. This influence propelled him into a career in graphic design and fine art with a strong focus in street art. Since 2002, he has been an accomplished designer having his work featured and published in various magazines, books and online design publications, as well as winning several design awards. Kristopher’s work can be described as contemporary pop, exhibiting a mix of abstract geometric patterns with layers of graffiti-inspired and space-themed influences. http://www.kriskanaly.com

Local artist, Jessica Stout, has painted highly researched historical murals in the Miami Regional Airport and Chapters Bookstore and is currently working on a mural at Miami Main. In her work as Department Chair of the NEO A&M College Art Program, artist and muralist Jessica Stout gives students a solid foundation in drawing, painting, ceramics, sculpture and design in small studio classes that allow for creative interaction with the instructor and other students. Stout emphasizes multiple techniques to build an analytic and artistic foundation for her students and to develop portfolios for art majors who plan to move into the workplace or other programs. At NEO, Stout's students are drawn from across curriculums and art classes are accessible to everyone, regardless of major. Some of the NEO students participating in Mural Fest this year include Colleen Garrett, Jeanette Hughes, Kristi Roach, Madison Renick, and Meghan Davidson. For more information about the NEO Art program visit: http://www.neo.edu/art

In addition, local artists will have art for sale in Celebrity Park next to the Coleman Theatre.

Musical performances, curated by Jacque Garroutte, will be as follows:

Starting at high noon Jacque along with Greg Krutsinger will kick off the show with a collection of original songs. These troubadours are the founding members and principal songwriters of the Miami-Joplin area rock band MissioNaries, active from the late eighties through today. Greg & Jacque have toured nationally and produced numerous recordings. http://www.garoutte66.com

Next, from 1:15-2:15 we will have a rousing set from KC based LEVEE TOWN. LT is Brandon Hudspeth, Garoutte, and Adam Hagerman. Hudspeth is one of KC’s finest purveyors of Blues/Roots/Swing style guitar players. Jacque and Brandon trade off on songwriting and lead vocal duties.

Then at 2:30-3:45 comes Grammy nominated, RANDY MCALLISTER straight out of East Texas. Randy is a human dynamo the likes you rarely see anywhere. Not only does he deliver soul-stirring vocals within his own songs, he blows world-class harmonica all the while driving the band from behind the drum kit! And then, surprise, he grabs the Cajun scratchboard and walks around the stage and crowd keeping the energy at a frenzied pace. Brandon and Jacque have been having a great time touring the states and Canada with Randy for the past year.

For the Finale from 4:00-5:00 LEVEE TOWN takes the stage once again with Jacque’s hometown friends Annie P. Walser on Piano and guitar hero John Moss of Crawdad and Smoot Mahuti fame. This will be a great set for the homefolk!

There will be food at the Fest including Cowboy Kettle Corn, The Frozen Elephant, Pig Dig BBQ, Ghetto Tacos, and more!

Please join us for a great day of art, music, food, and fun at MURAL FEST 66! Find us on Facebook at Mural Fest 66.

The Oklahoma Arts Council is the official state agency for the support and development of the arts. The agency’s mission is to lead in the advancement of Oklahoma’s thriving arts industry. The Oklahoma Arts Council provides approximately 500 grants to almost 250 organizations in communities statewide each year, organizes professional development opportunities for the state’s arts and cultural industry, and manages hundreds of works of art in the public spaces of the state Capitol. Additional information is available at http://www.arts.ok.gov