They say watching paint dry is boring, so watching paint be painted must be exhilarating. Who can resist the sloshing of brushes, the smell of wet paint, the thrill of a slow, controlled stroke? Oooh, do you have goose bumps yet? Well, if your goose isn’t properly bumped yet, oh boy, it’ll be bumped at Paint Memphis’ one-day paint festival, where more than 150 artists will paint Broad Avenue Arts District red, and blue, and purple, and pink, and … pretty much every color out there.
This year, artists of all styles from throughout the country will paint 50,000 square feet of wall space along Hollywood, Broad, and Scott streets. “This year we have over 34 buildings we’re painting on,” say Paint Memphis’ director Karen Golightly. “So it’s totally different than we’ve done before. I think our max before was like six or seven. It’s really pushed us to engage more than we ever have, just to really partner with so many different businesses and residents and building owners, so that we can make sure we are communicating a positive message to the community and really trying to reflect this community, its history and its vision for the future.”
In addition to the live painting, the festival will include around 50 vendors, a hands-on mural workshop by Zulu Painter, a skateboarding workshop by Society Memphis, a performance by Memphis Hoopers, a henna demonstration and performance by Kumar Indian Dance Troop, and a children’s hands-on makers space.
Plus, for the first time, Paint Memphis will feature pop-up galleries at Memphis Current, Meaty Graffiti, and Vice & Virtue Coffee, where the artists, all of whom volunteer their time for the festival, can sell their work. The galleries will be open Friday from 5 to 8 p.m. and throughout the day Saturday.
Overall, Golightly wants to bring more public, accessible art to Memphis. “One of the best things is that it has become a place where people can go and be proud of their neighborhood,” Golightly says. “I’ve seen the data on it that transforming gray walls anywhere into beautiful murals lowers crime, draws more tourists there, and can reflect the neighborhood.”
Paint Memphis, Broad Avenue Arts District, Saturday, October 8, noon-6 p.m., free.