City of Tyler calls on local artists for the next phase of Art Alley

TYLER, Texas (KLTV) - Downtown Tyler’s Art Alley made its debut in March of 2021. The city’s Main Street Director Amber Varona says it was not only a beautification project, but a way to highlight local artists.

“Cause we saw a really uptick on how many local, talented artists we had here and we really wanted a way to showcase that cause we kept hearing over and over, oh well we had to go to Dallas to see some great art or go to Austin to see some great art. And we’re like this is the perfect opportunity.”

Forty-six artists contributed to the murals, opening the doors to creativity. And for some, an opportunity to turn a passion into a full-time career, like twenty-five-year-old Odessa Helm.

“I never would have dreamed that I would’ve been able to start painting full-time just from this alley cause I just did it for fun. Just wanted to paint a mural just to paint a mural. And then I started having people reach out to me because they would see the mural in the alley.”

But it’s now time for the second installation of art alley.

“One, not only to keep it fresh and keep it a new destination, but also to give the opportunity for new artists to come.” said Varona.

Volunteers painted the 280 ft. alley way white to create a new canvas. The city is calling on artists to send in their work for this next phase. Helm says she will be returning to paint and to mentor the new talent.

“I always tell people just pretend like you’ve been doing it for twenty years. If you step back and it looks funky, just paint over it. So just don’t be afraid to just go for it and you really can’t mess it up.”

The deadline to apply is March 26. Applicants will be notified two to three weeks after the deadline if chosen.

If you would like to apply, click here.

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