Everyone
gets a brush
gets a brush
Community Painting Experiences
For eleven years we've turned blank walls, panels, and canvases into collective experiences, giving every person in the room a real role in making something that lasts.
Community-building is at the heart of our practice. Our inclusive painting experiences allow people to paint the work alongside us, regardless of age or skill level, while still achieving professional results, honoring art as a tool for peaceful community-building.
15+
public activations
public activations
1,500+
participants
participants
You show up to a surface covered in tape and numbers. You pick up a brush, and a few hours later, something extraordinary exists and you were part of building it.
500+
in a single weekend
in a single weekend
11
years of public practice
years of public practice
SELECTED WORK
Activations that have moved rooms,
streets, and institutions.
streets, and institutions.
permanent collection
The Offering
City of Dallas — Office of Arts & Culture · Permanent Public Art Collection
A sculptural mural painted on all visible sides, selected through a juried process. On one side, a young Latino man in military uniform faces outward. On the reverse, a mother figure extends her hands in offering; from them, a dove takes flight, its wing wrapping around the edge and crossing onto the son's side. The gesture reflects a reality familiar to many immigrant families: a mother offering her child forward into the life of a new country. The activation included a community painting component during which around 100 locals painted alongside us.
48 × 11 ft all sides 2,200+ triangles ~100 participants
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48 × 11 ft all sides 2,200+ triangles ~100 participants
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municipal • public art
The Discovery
Durham County, North Carolina · Maizon Durham
A welcoming mural beside the garage entrance of a new downtown development, a few blocks from the historic Hayti District. Hayti was once a thriving center of Black entrepreneurship known as Black Wall Street. The composition shows a young girl with a teddy bear shining a flashlight under her bed, the moment of seeing something she didn't know was there. The "under the bed" framing pulls from how Hayti's story was erased by mid-century urban renewal and the construction of NC Highway 147. Around 100 community members painted alongside us.
65 × 16 ft 2,500+ triangles ~100 participants
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65 × 16 ft 2,500+ triangles ~100 participants
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public—private partnership
The Hidden Gem
Arts Council of Wilmington, North Carolina · funded in partnership with PNC Bank
The first large-scale public mural in downtown Wilmington, this large mural anchors Bijou Park, a historic pedestrian corridor connecting Main Street to the riverfront. Approximately 500 community members painted across a single weekend, promoted across radio, social media, and direct outreach.
100 × 24 ft all sides 2,200+ triangles ~500 participants
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100 × 24 ft all sides 2,200+ triangles ~500 participants
See full project →
institutional • public health • panel-based
Any and All Healing is Possible
Arts Foundation for Tucson & Southern Arizona · Pima County Health Department
A three-panel commission exploring collective community experiences of the pandemic, consisting of two listening sessions —one in person and one remote for participants still sensitive to gathering— translated lived experience into narrative and symbol. Panel one held the initial impact; the center panel, a vision for the future; panel three, the settling in. A day-before painting session gave the original contributors the first brushes. The centerpiece of a daylong healing festival.
three-panel tryptich 100+ community painters installable anywhere
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three-panel tryptich 100+ community painters installable anywhere
See full project →
municipal • infrastructure
Message in a Bottle
City of Loveland, Colorado — Art in Public Places program
An 80-foot exterior mural at Loveland's state-of-the-art Recycling Center. The composition depicts wildlife from three different ecosystems, visualizing how individual choices ripple outward to affect environments far beyond where the choice is made. More than 200 community members painted during a two-day public activation.
80 x 6 ft 4,500+ triangles ~200 participants
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80 x 6 ft 4,500+ triangles ~200 participants
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nonprofit • placemaking
Music Is...
Main Street Wadsworth — downtown revitalization
A placemaking work in a newly renovated parking area that now serves as a music and events venue in Wadsworth, Ohio. The composition features Albert Ayler, the Godfather of Free Jazz, drawing its title from his piece Music Is the Healing Force of the Universe, along with a companion mural that carries the narrative onto a second wall. Approximately 300 community members painted during Wadsworth's monthly First Friday activation.
37 × 14 ft 2,500+ triangles ~300 participants
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37 × 14 ft 2,500+ triangles ~300 participants
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corporate • anniversary celebration
Macaw & Toucan
Primestones — one of Florida's largest stone providers
An anamorphic mural painted as the anchor of Primestones' fifth-anniversary celebration. The composition references the owners' native Brazil and the origin of the stone they work with. Approximately 75 guests painted together during the evening activation.
three-panel tryptich 100+ community painters installable anywhere
See full project →
three-panel tryptich 100+ community painters installable anywhere
See full project →
charity • gala • black tie event
CANVAS Gala
CANVAS Outdoor Museum — inaugural fundraising gala
A 4-by-4-foot collaborative canvas brought to a black-tie charity gala to inaugurate the CANVAS Outdoor Museum initiative. Guests in dresses and tuxedos painted alongside one another, working on a scaled detail of a composition we completed at the larger community mural a few days later. This is a demonstration that the format works as well in a ballroom as it does on a city wall.
4 x 4 ft 400+ triangles ~50 participants
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4 x 4 ft 400+ triangles ~50 participants
See full project →
"Anón's community project at the CANVAS Gala bridged the gap between the viewer and the creator by welcoming all individuals to share in a profound experience of collectively creating something beautiful. As an artist, it made me realize and question my own distorted notions of an 'us' and 'them' mentality as we all shared in this powerful movement."
Jessica Dadiomoff, fine artist
what partners say
From the people
who hired us.
who hired us.
"It's been months since he last had brush to wall in my township, and I'm still stopped on the street almost daily with business owners and citizens alike asking about him. What Jhonattan provides to a place stretches so much further than paint on a wall."
Jason Gleason
Director, Montclair Business Improvement District
Jason Gleason
Director, Montclair Business Improvement District
"This project exceeded my highest expectations. You all are amazing people and you have left an indelible mark on the community. We are still in a glow about Message in a Bottle."
Suzanne Janssen
Public Art Manager, City of Loveland
Suzanne Janssen
Public Art Manager, City of Loveland
"He is a fantastic artist and amazing human being. I will not only recommend him to other communities looking for a muralist but I sincerely hope to work with him and Samantha in the future."
Molly Thomas
Parks, Recreation + Community Affairs Director, City of Cape Canaveral
Molly Thomas
Parks, Recreation + Community Affairs Director, City of Cape Canaveral
"Jhon delivered everything on time and overdelivered with the quality of work. All of us are stunned with the result. We will definitely hire him again when we are ready with our offices in Miami."
Alla P.
Marketing Director, Primestones
Alla P.
Marketing Director, Primestones
"A week prior I was diagnosed with cancer and it was weighing heavy on my mind. I'd only planned to paint one section, so once I was done I turned in my brush and started to leave. As I was about to exit the building I went back and asked to paint again. I was at peace for the few minutes I was actually able to focus. When I left the building that day I was in a different place mentally. I make it a point to visit the conference room every time I make it to Bee Access."
Joe
Marketing Director, Primestones
Marketing Director, Primestones
commissions & partnerships
Selected Clients & Partners
City of Dallas — Office of Arts & Culture
City of Loveland — Art in Public Places
Durham County, North Carolina
Main Street Wadsworth, Ohio
PNC Bank
Starbucks
Primestones
City of Cape Canaveral, Florida
Pima County Health Department
Arts Foundation for Tucson & Southern Arizona
Arts Council of Wilmington, North Carolina
CANVAS Outdoor Museum, West Palm Beach
Montclair Business Improvement District, New Jersey
Bee Access Products
+ festivals, schools, and private events
how it works
01
Design
We design the work scaled to your surface, event, or community, shaped by the stories you want to tell. Every section is mapped, numbered, and color-coded before anyone picks up a brush.
02
Activate
We arrive with everything needed to run the experience: paint, panels, brushes, and a stress-free, easy-to-follow system. We gently guide the day from start to finish, keeping the result clean.
03
Keep
We finalize the work over the next couple of days to ensure a professional, archival finish. You keep the work. Your guests keep the experience of having co-created something with people they now know a little better.
how it works
A weekend in Wilmington
500 community members over one weekend working on a 100-by-24-foot mural anchoring downtown Wilmington's Bijou Park. Time-lapse shows the community painting the lower portion of the mural.
what to know
Questions we hear the most.
The work is fully designed in advance and broken into clearly mapped sections, each tied to a specific color. Participants, regardless of age or skill level, are invited to paint their section. A numbered paint-by-number system guides every brushstroke, and a series of failsafes ensures that anything painted outside the lines is easily corrected. The result is indistinguishable from a solo work.
Who is this for?
Cities, municipalities, arts councils, schools, neighborhoods, companies, conventions, art fairs, hospitals, and anyone interested in using art as a tool for genuine community-building. Available nationwide.
How many people can participate?
The design scales to your group and your space. We've worked with groups of 10 and groups of 500. The number of participants and the logistics are mapped out together at the start, so the day itself is yours to enjoy.
What if someone paints outside the lines?
It happens, and it's never a problem. The system is designed with general participation in mind. Every area is surveyed and touched up after the event. We encourage people to have fun and not worry about mistakes.
How long does the process take?
A typical activation runs three to four hours of active painting per day, over one or two days, depending on the size of the work and the crowd. We design the timeline backwards from your event, so the painting fits your gathering specifics.
What's the timeline from inquiry to event?
Eight to twelve weeks for a custom design. Faster is possible for a smaller scope or a simpler concept. We'll tell you on the first call.
Will it look like the community painted it?
No. The work finishes at the same level as anything else we make. The design is mapped, numbered, and color-coded in advance, and we guide every section while it's being painted. Thanks to a number of failsafes, the end result reads as a professionally made work of art.
What do you bring and what do we provide?
We bring everything needed to create the experience. You provide the space, the people, and any food, music, or programming you want to build around it.
How long will the work last?
We use top-of-the-line acrylic paint with a special polymer for longevity, isolation layers to protect the surface, and a UV-resistant anti-graffiti topcoat to keep colors vibrant for years. Outdoor work holds up in direct sun and weather. Indoor work effectively lasts as long as the surface does. Anemos Art Preservation, our sister practice, handles long-term stewardship for collections that need it.
Bring an activation
to your people.
to your people.
Indoor or outdoor. Designed for groups of any size. Nationwide.