Down to a Fine Art

TO COMPLEMENT THE artistic vibe of downtown Oshkosh, Wisconsin, the city created its first outdoor gallery with murals displaying original works of art from 20 local artists in 20 locations. Joshua Marquardt, VP and partner of Art City Wraps and an internationally recognized competitive wrap installer, shared his idea of the Mini Mural Project with the Oshkosh Public Arts and Beautification Community in 2018.

“I had a lot of experience doing commercial wall graphics, and I was aware of how successful outdoor art murals were in some other cities, so I suggested we find 20 locations where we could install original works from local artists and create some buzz about Oshkosh being a mural city,” says Marquardt.

The displayed pieces of art were digitally printed via Art City Wraps’ Mimaki UCJV300-160 Plus Series printer onto weather- resistant Avery Dennison MPI 1405 PVC-free film. The sheets were applied by a volunteer team of local graphics professionals from early afternoon to 2 a.m.; the gallery opened at 8 a.m. the same day.

“The installation was an event in itself,” says Marquardt. “I had a torch in one hand to illuminate the job while I worked and drones following us around overhead. A violinist and other musicians were playing in different spots where we were installing the murals. It was a lot of work, but it was fun.”

Social distancing guidelines were put in place and all proceeds went to the local artists.