Downtown Lakeland's blank walls are getting a colorful overhaul this week as 11 national and international muralists descend on the city for Color Wave Walls, a new festival turning downtown streets into what organizers call an open-air art gallery. Artists from France, Australia, Spain, Canada and the Netherlands are among those wielding spray cans and brushes across the city, with only one of the 11 hailing from Polk County itself.
Organizers reviewed more than 430 submissions from 21 countries before narrowing the field, according to FOX 13 Tampa Bay. A more precise count from LkldNow put the number at 438 artist applications from 33 states and 21 countries, underscoring just how competitive a spot in the inaugural lineup turned out to be. Festival organizers selected 11 nationally and internationally recognized muralists for the Lakeland event, with the resulting murals now dotting the downtown core.
Among the out-of-town talent is Nina Valkhoff, who traveled from the Netherlands to take part and was spotted painting a local bird onto one of the downtown walls, per FOX 13's reporting. The station's Carla Bayron interviewed Valkhoff alongside festival co-founder Katerina Santos and fellow muralist Keith Goodson for the original report on the event.
A Hometown Artist Gets His Shot
Keith Goodson is the lone artist chosen to represent Polk County in the festival lineup, and he's been working on a mural along West Main Street in downtown Lakeland. His piece depicts a young girl contemplating her future and divine purpose alongside a young man stepping into his own future and goals, with blank journal pages worked into the design to symbolize the girl's story still being written. The mural was sponsored by Southeastern University, and Goodson said he aims to inspire young people to pursue their dreams and goals.
That mission of local inspiration runs through the festival's broader pitch. Santos said she hopes young local artists will see the visiting muralists at work and come away believing they can produce similar work themselves, and that the project will spark ambition among local residents. Color Wave Walls describes its own approach as pairing artists from different parts of the world alongside Lakeland's local art scene, according to the festival's website.
Free Admission, Built to Return
Color Wave Walls was founded by Gillian Fazio and Santos with the stated goal of removing financial barriers for artists while making world-class art free and accessible to everyone. In keeping with that mission, the festival carries no admission price, according to Gotta Go Orlando. Official programming was scheduled to run November 6 through 14, with community mural activities held at the Lakeland Downtown Farmers Curb Market on both the 7th and the 14th.
Per organizers, muralists were expected to continue painting through Wednesday as they put finishing touches on the downtown walls. Organizers also confirmed the festival is meant to be a biennial event, with plans already in place for it to return in 2028.
A Backdrop of Arts Funding Uncertainty
The mural festival's arrival comes amid broader questions about how Lakeland funds its arts programs. LkldNow reported that the city's arts-grant allocation has grown over time, though the outlet's own reporting gives differing timelines for that growth — one account describes the increase from $250,000 to $375,000 as happening since 2017, a 50% rise in less than a decade, while another account from the same outlet describes that same jump occurring over four years. Separately, LkldNow reported that several local arts leaders have expressed concern about potential cuts to city support following the passage of Amendment 3, though the city had not approved any related budget changes as of that report's publication.
For now, downtown Lakeland's walls are telling a different story — one of global collaboration and a hometown artist's bid to put Polk County on the map alongside muralists from five countries. Whether the city's financial commitment to public art keeps pace with that ambition remains an open question for local arts advocates to watch.
