After last year’s successful event, city organizers were excited for the second annual Los Muros on Main: Midvale City Mural Festival, held on June 10. Artists from around the country continue to transform the city’s Main Street into an art destination with the sides of buildings on the historic street used as their canvas.

This year, the city closed off Historic Main Street to allow visitors easy access to the murals, vendors, food trucks, a beer garden and music. Midvale Mayor Marcus Stevenson was happy to see the festival return and to see the interest and growth it has generated.

“We had so many incredible artists last year that we wanted to continue to make sure that we get different types of art on the street,” Stevenson said. “Because this is still a fairly new event, we’re continuously learning how to improve it. We’re trying to engage more in the street. We think that we’ve got a better set up this year and we’ll continue to learn and really try to support our community and our artists as we put on this festival every year.”

Ten artists were selected to paint buildings along Main and Center Street in this year’s festival. Andrey Kravtsov, Chuck Berrett, Emma Gilbert, Eduardo Bastida Guzman, Benjamin Wiemeyer, Cole Eisenhour, Bill Louis, Chris Peterson, Elizabeth Walsh and the Roots Art Kollective added their distinctive flair to the city through their colorful and engaging murals. 

“Art is so critical as we try to make sure that Main Street feels safe and engaging,” Stevenson said. “Art is so important because it helps businesses feel more comfortable, it helps the community feel more comfortable, and it’s important to know that we do this for a reason, that art is something we’re investing in because we know it will really help Main Street thrive.”