THE ROYAL FOUNDY ROCKS MURAL FEST

The scene was set. Alex Decoteaux Park would play host to the Mural Massive 2022 block party that would feature a music packed line up, a live mural, live comedy and a Saturday celebrating public art. If that wasnt enough, headlining the evening was Edmonton's own 1Indie-Alt-Rock band The Royal Foundry. 2Anchored by husband and wife Jared Salte and Beth Schumacher, along with touring band members Robbie Szabo and Jeremy Dehek.

The Music Curation

The talent line up was curated by Joses Martin ( Grindstone Theatre + SWEAT + Disco in the Park ) and was truly a delightful mix of Alberta musicians and comedic talent. The Royal Foundry, Mitch for Mayor, The Spanish Flies, Funk Cove and a handful more of Alberta singers, song writers and musicians rocked the park from 2-11 PM. The block party was a true celebration of Edmonton and Alberta creative culture.

"It was a dream to curate a local music lineup for the festival. YEG has a ton of high level performers that are unknown or tough to see live. Comedy, funk music, hip-hop, solo artists, electronic producers, and national award winners. Combing music, comedy and murals art into one amazing event. Like I said, a dream." - Joses Martin, Grindstone Theatre Festival Director

The Mural Art

In a scene almost too good to be true, the 2022 festival block party featured 2 artists working on a large scale public mural. Marcus Coldeway and Josh Harnack painted for over 6 hours and were able to complete large sections of the mural in front of the live crowd. Edmonton in the summer is the best and the day packed with sunshine and made for a perfect creative Saturday in Edmonton. We talked to the mural artists to see how they felt about the block party and the mural.

"I was so stoked to be painting a mural for a live crowd. The summer vibes were strong and the music kept us going all evening. Josh and I completed a lot of the mural's larger components and talked to hundreds of people about our art and murals. Unreal!" - Marcus Coldeway, Mural Artist

What's in the mix for 2023?

The Mural Festival organizers and partners are already preparing for a massive 2023. They assured this blogger that there are some big announcements coming up and that Edmonton should get ready for an even brighter spotlight on Alberta culture but also some international talent joining in on the mural fun. Stay tuned for more blog posts.

Sources:

1: Taste of Edmonton 2: wikipedia