Valparaiso is about to get its tallest and longest murals yet, and the timing could not be more pointed. The third annual Mural Walk rolls through downtown Saturday, August 22, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., just 11 days after a severe storm system tore through the city and Porter County, cutting power to roughly 29,000 local customers and prompting a formal disaster declaration.
The event, organized by the Valparaiso Creative Council, will introduce four new murals across town, according to Post-Tribune reporter Doug Ross. The tallest is a silo mural at Smith Ready Mix, 251 Brown St., painted by Hammond native Felix Maldonado, while the longest will stretch the entire length of the alley behind the Valparaiso Chamber of Commerce building at 162 W. Lincolnway, courtesy of Chicago illustrator Katie Lukes. Council Executive Director Jessica Corral called Maldonado's design phenomenal and said his silo piece will be unusually large for the event.
A Storm-Battered City Looks for a Lift
The disaster declaration issued by Mayor Jon Costas came after emergency crews hauled away more than 300 tons of storm debris, according to the City of Valparaiso. By mid-August, NIPSCO and city officials reported power restored to about 70% of Valparaiso, after outages at the storm's peak had knocked out electricity to more than 60% of the utility's regional customer base, cutting off more than 320,000 customers across Northern Indiana. Corral said the community has been through a lot this past week, according to Post-Tribune, and she hopes the festive event will give people something to enjoy after storms battered their lives. Some residents went days without power, wifi or phone service, per the same report.
Against that backdrop, the Mural Walk is doing more than adding paint to walls. Corral told Post-Tribune she expects at least 2,000 people to contribute to the murals over the course of the day, with the event allowing visitors to add their own touches to several of the works in progress.
Meet the Artists Behind the New Murals
Maldonado brings decades of experience to the silo project. The East Chicago native and American Academy of Art alumnus has more than 35 years in fine art and commercial illustration, according to the Gary Public Library, and his past work includes a prominent Jackson 5 mural in Gary and a Calumet College of St. Joseph mural in Whiting. Smith Ready Mix is covering the cost of his mural beyond the council's stipend, per Post-Tribune's reporting.
Lukes, meanwhile, is a Chicago-based illustrator known for whimsical graphic collage work; Corral described her that way to Post-Tribune. Her public art resume includes a 2,400-square-foot community mural in Chicago's Lincoln Square, Mother's Day installations for Cricut, and campaign artwork for the Chicago Public Library Foundation. Lukes must wait until the chamber wall is properly prepared before she can begin, and once finished, she plans to install additional panels at Front Porch Music in September.
A Community Mural You Can Help Paint
South Bend artist Cassi Graber is behind the fourth new piece, an interactive three-panel mural measuring eight feet by 12 feet that doubles as a group participation event. Created in collaboration with Wonderlane Events, the piece uses different materials, tools and textures, and Mural Walk attendees are invited to help create it. Per the Indiana Dunes Tourism Facebook page, the mural is co-sponsored by Hines Plumbing and will be permanently installed at Central Park Plaza in September. Graber will also create a fourth mural at the Valpo Creates Center, 256 Indiana Ave.
Festival activities will spread across more than five locations this year, with the council expanding the event's hours to 3 p.m. in 2026 to give families more time at each stop and a chance to grab lunch, Post-Tribune reports. Artists' works will also be on display at Birdie's Nextdoor, Scented Science, Lower Lincoln and Roots Café, while Duneland Pottery, a Valpo Creates Center tenant, will run its own hands-on activity. Featured artists across the walk include Melissa Griffin, Leah Romano McMeen, Michael Mancini, Wes Thorn, Beth Vottero and Teneia DiLosa.
Freebies, a Scavenger Hunt and a Rain Date
Families can pick up a tote bag containing a Mural Walk coloring book and scavenger hunt checklist, with the first 500 attendees receiving one. Children who complete the scavenger hunt and submit a stamped form may win giveaways. Attendees can check in at the Valpo Creates Center, City Hall or the council's booth at the farmers market, and the whole event is free.
If rain interferes, organizers have set August 29 as a backup date, and the longest mural specifically will be delayed if wet weather hits, since Lukes's alley-length painting requires dry conditions. A map distributed for the event also includes the 13 existing murals the council has facilitated downtown, all of which are cataloged year-round on the Indiana Dunes Tourism Arts and Culture Trail mobile app.
A Growing Arts Hub With State and Philanthropic Backing
The council operates out of the McMillan Valpo Creates Center, an expanded multi-use facility that celebrated its ribbon-cutting in March 2025 after a crowdfunding campaign raised $45,000 in donor funds, matched by the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority, according to Patronicity. That campaign ultimately reached $90,000 once state matching funds were included. Beyond the Mural Walk, the center runs glass fusing classes, DJ workshops, youth camps and quarterly Art + Innovation exhibitions spotlighting local artists, and it offers four rental spaces for community creators.
The council's broader public art push is also supported by Indiana's READI 2.0 program, which distributes regional arts and culture awards funded by the Lilly Endowment. The Lilly Endowment awarded $250 million to Indiana READI to strengthen regional cultural infrastructure statewide, according to Indiana READI. Donations to the council will be matched by the Lilly Endowment for 90 days under a current matching challenge, and the council is also planning to take over the Journeyman Distillery parking area for a popcorn festival fundraiser.
