Crown City Mural Fest

Crown City Mural Fest provided an opportunity for the Public Arts Committee to engage the community, raising awareness about and educating them on the future public arts component of the Cortland Downtown Revitalization Initiative. The event launched the Public Arts educational component on the Crown City Rising website. A huge thank you to Jon Majka of J.Majka Designs for designing our promotional materials!

DRI Public Arts Committee Chair Crystal Lyon of Living Illusion Studio and  DRI Public Arts Committee member Ashe Martin of Forged From Ashe, in collaboration with the City of Cortland, founded and organized the event. Thank you to all the fantastic volunteers who helped us make it happen. All necessary materials for participation were provided through public donations. Community members engaged in an Artisan Market, perusing the wares of local artisans while enjoying art demonstrations, listening to the delightful sounds of local musicians, and immersing themselves in the creation of artwork, all in celebration of the theme of Cultivating Community. The completed artwork was used to temporary art beautifying the construction project on Main Street in downtown Cortland beginning in March 2023. Two-way Main Street opened on July 11, 2025, with a focus shifting to the public arts component of the DRI, with artwork installations planned by 2026.

Crown City Mural Fest has been an annual festival from 2022 to 2024. The festival will be on pause in 2025 as the founders are working on exciting projects. Please follow our social media channels for more updates.