Deadline for applying: January 31, 2022
A special invitation to PAPA Artists from:
Tammy Thompson, Public Relations Coordinator
West Kentucky Community and Technical College
Paducah Riverfront mural painting opportunity with renowned muralist Robert Dafford
Call for artist applications now open
PADUCAH, KY (10/14/2021) West Kentucky Community and Technical College’s Paducah School of Art and Design (PSAD) is now accepting artist applications for the Dafford Murals Master Workshop to be held in Summer 2022. The intensive workshop is an introduction to the materials, processes, and techniques of renowned muralist Robert Dafford, who with his team, created Paducah’s riverfront murals.
The twelve-day lecture and hands-on workshop will be held June 6-18, 2022, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. in PSAD’s 2D and Graphic Design Building (905 Harrison Street) and onsite at Paducah’s downtown floodwall.
Artists may apply to participate through submission of works samples through CaFE, an online application and jurying site at https://bit.ly/3m1AoTs with no entry fee. Submissions must be received by January 31, 2022. Accepted applicants will be notified by February 18, 2022.
“Given Robert Dafford’s success and stature as one of America’s leading mural painters, we are proud to host his first hands-on workshop at PSAD,” said Paul Aho, art school director. “Robert has a long history with Paducah, through his landmark Wall to Wall floodwall murals and his annual presence in the summer months to assure their continued stability and vitality. Having been sought after for similar workshops over the past decades, we are grateful to him for agreeing to share his knowledge and techniques with painters from across the country here in Paducah,” he said.
Dafford and his team of artists have painted over 500 murals across the United States, Canada, France, England, and Belgium with a focus for the past 40 years on murals along the Ohio River. He has completed over 200 murals in the region with over 50 panels in Paducah alone.
Workshop participants will study mural painting with Dafford and work with him in painting the final ten panels of Paducah’s Wall to Wall mural project, which captures the rich history of Paducah’s UNESCO Creative City’s floodwall overlooking the confluence of the Ohio and Tennessee Rivers. The visionary project began in the spring of 1996, with the first twenty panels completed in 2001, and the last painting in the three-block section in 2010.
Through lecture and demonstration, Dafford will share his process from start to finish, with students applying these lessons on interior wall panels before moving onsite to the riverfront to begin laying out a map depicting the historic railway system connecting Paducah to Chicago, Memphis, St. Louis, and Nashville. Dafford and his team will complete the murals in the weeks to follow.
With a goal of twenty participants, those accepted through the jurying process will register through West Kentucky Community and Technical College’s (WKCTC) Community Education program. All supplies will be provided through a partnership with Paducah Wall to Wall. Tuition for the workshop is $795. A limited number of scholarships will be available for accepted veterans, artist residents of UNESCP Creative Cities, and graduates of Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTCS) art programs.
Participants outside Paducah may arrange for housing through any of the many hotels, accommodations, or RV parks listed by Paducah Convention and Visitor Center at paducah.travel. A list of hotels offering discounted rates will be provided as well. Lunch may be purchased at the Kitchens Cafe, onsite at PSAD’s 905 Harrison Street location. Breakfast and dinner are also available through a wide range of nearby restaurants, coffee shops, or markets.
For more information about the Dafford Murals Master Workshop, contact PSAD Director Paul Aho at paul.aho@kctcs.edu.