Evanston Mural Arts Program: EMAP

Evanston Mural Arts Program is a new public art initiative launched by the local non-profit Art Encounter. Our goal is to help artists, residents, and business districts uplift their neighborhoods and strengthen their communities through mural art. EMAP provides curatorial leadership and project management support across all areas of making public murals, towards the shared goals of community enrichment, civic engagement, and beautification. We wish to help Evanston join a national movement that embraces the power of public art and become a more culturally vibrant, livable city on the whole.

EMAP is overseen by Evanston natives Dustin Harris and Lea Pinsky. Harris and Pinsky, both muralists and public art project managers, have been inspiring public spaces through art since 2005. Through our creative work as Mix Masters Murals, we have directed and created numerous large-scale mural projects on public walls, in schools, community centers, and other spaces around Chicago and Evanston. Since 2009, we have served as lead Project Managers for the Mile of Murals, a Rogers Park public art initiative that annually creates new block-long murals for the CTA retaining walls and underpasses in 60626. Through the Evanston Mural Arts Program, we look forward to making Evanston a prominent and exciting cultural destination, in collaboration with partners across the city.

EMAP is new initiative launched through the visual art organization Art Encounter, which has been in existence since 1978. We believe "there are many ways to see"; our mission is to enrich the lives of diverse communities through interactive explorations of visual art, empowering and connecting people of all ages and backgrounds.