Beloit Art Center seeks mural designs for building

BELOIT — The Beloit Art Center is looking for big art ideas to help the center cerebrate its 25th anniversary.

The “Big Art” being sought is designs for a mural that will be painted on the art center near the rear stairway. The mural will be 22 feet, 8 inches tall by 18 feet, 9 inches wide.

Mural designs will be accepted until 2 p.m. Nov. 16. Artists renderings of the mural designs will be put on display at the Beloit Art Center at 520 E. Grand Ave. in December in the Members Gallery.

Dawn Stadelman of the Beloit Art Center, said a committee will judge the mural designs and the selected design will be announced during the art center’s First Friday event in January.

“The winner, or winners, will paint the mural on the building in the spring and the finished mural will be featured during the 25th anniversary celebration in July 2025,” she said.

Designs can be emailed to mural@beloitartcenter.com.

The art center has issued an open call to all artists. Although the center hasn’t received any designs yet, the process is still in the beginning stage.

“We’ve had a few inquiries,” Stadelman said.

The Beloit Arts Center started out as the Beloit Fine Arts Incubator in 1999. The building was owned by the city and space was leased by a group of individuals who wanted to have a space for artists to develop their crafts, to offer studio space and to offer space for exhibits.

Stadelman said in 2017, the group decided to change the name to the Beloit Art Center, which was a more accurate description of how the space was used. In 2020, the group purchased the building.

Today, the Beloit Art Center plays host to exhibits each month in the Sveum Gallery and Bell Gallery, highlighting a few local artists.

The center also hosts art displays at the Beloit Public Library, as well as at local businesses, such as Bagels and More.

The center also hosts art classes each month, including pottery, mosaic art and painting. It also offers a regular open studio art group, and a photography club.

For more information about the Beloit Art Center or the 25th anniversary mural design competition, visit the website at https://www.beloitartcenter.com/.