A Pathway to Opportunities for Practicing Muralists

Anna Currence O'Neal

Georgia Southern University

April 30, 2025

Anna uses word clouds to help form her big picture ideas while writing.

Abstract

The current study provides a pathway for muralists to find consistent work in Georgia. In recent years, there have been many mural initiatives in Georgia. We focus on the Atlanta Beltline Murals, Flint Energies Rural Murals, and the Big Beautiful Deck Mural Project. The study polls Georgia community leaders’ support for mural initiatives in their domains. The study also inquires about their awareness of the benefits of mural initiatives and offers more information. Finally, the questionnaire asks for current mural opportunities in their domain and contact information for said opportunities. This information will feed a statewide search portal of potential and current opportunities for muralists working in Georgia. On the same website, information about the community benefits of mural initiatives will be highlighted with links to longer writings and sources. The search portal, informed by the study’s data analysis, will reflect filterable quantitative data on community leaders’ awareness of benefits and willingness to fund and/or support mural projects in their communities. Muralists can use this information to guide them to areas where they are more likely to find consistent work. Further, the database will provide details and contact information for current opportunities, connecting receptive officials and local businesses with muralists seeking funding opportunities or partnerships with local businesses. A secondary function of the survey data is to inform the infographics. The data showing what leaders are more or less aware of will guide researchers on what benefits are less known, and should therefore be focused on in informational materials. 

Introduction

How can a practicing muralist assess Georgia community leaders’ awareness of the benefits of mural initiatives and their willingness to financially support murals through public funding allocation or business incentives in their community across neighborhood, city, county, and state levels? Even with awareness and willingness to support measured, how can the muralist identify current and potential opportunities across such a wide field of municipalities? 

A muralist is a creative painter who designs and executes large-scale painting projects onto permanent surfaces in public spaces (Joyce, 2024). A mural initiative can refer to a small-scale single mural opportunity in a community (e.g., Big Beautiful Deck Project or Squidly Designs Storefront), a medium-scale development plan to beautify the community (e.g., Flint Energies Rural Murals), or a large-scale strategic redevelopment plan for community spaces (e.g., Atlanta BeltLine). A community leader is defined in this study as an elected official charged with public fund allocation for community improvement, referring to any neighborhood, city, county, or state level. A community leader’s awareness of the benefits of mural initiatives is defined here as knowledge of the positive impact murals have on community engagement, brand awareness, economic success, and cost-effective community improvement.  A willingness to financially support mural initiatives is defined here as a community leader’s openness to funding community mural projects or providing incentives to local businesses, encouraging collaboration with muralists, and financial support for mural initiatives (e.g., tax credits, low-interest loans, and grants). 

The current study is designed to provide answers by polling Georgia community leaders on their willingness to fund or support mural initiatives in their leadership domains and developing a statewide search portal of potential and current opportunities for muralists working in Georgia. The search portal, informed by the study’s data analysis, will reflect filterable quantitative data on community leaders’ awareness of benefits and willingness to fund and/or support mural projects in their communities. Muralists can use this information to guide them to areas where they are more likely to find consistent work. Further, the database will provide details and contact information for current opportunities, connecting receptive officials and local businesses with muralists seeking funding opportunities or partnerships with local businesses. 

This kind of public support for mural initiatives is common in urban areas such as Atlanta and has, in recent years, steadily increased in suburban and rural communities across Georgia because of the documented benefits to community and economy (Flint Energies Rural Murals, n.d.). Some such benefits include: increased brand awareness, visual storytelling opportunities, public health improvements, connections with the local community, unique and authentic experiences that encourage in-person socializing and shares on social media platforms, economic prosperity, and a cost-effective method for community advertising, generating natural news coverage. 

Jan Brennan explains that “Art plays an invaluable role in the process of community building,” and highlights the participatory component of public art as essential to this process. Community members like to be involved in creating public art that reflects their community and beautifies their public spaces. In the context of public murals, this refers to their involvement in the planning or execution stages and goes beyond community members “merely being appreciative viewers” (Brennan, 2019). Murals are increasingly seen as a cost-efficient method of beautifying public spaces and revitalizing vacant or underused physical spaces (Fankhauser, n.d.). They can bring communities together around connectedness and positivity while simultaneously invigorating tourism and promoting the community’s culture inside and out of its limits (Brennan, 2019).

As noted in the research question, this study is designed to provide a searchable, intuitive, and actionable database for practicing muralists seeking new opportunities. It is well-observed that murals have positive impacts on communities, but there is no consistent pathway to job security for supplying this positive community impact (Lee et al., 2018). The current study aims to construct that pathway for Georgia artists and provide a possible framework for expanding and refining the survey to small businesses in Georgia seeking to partner with muralists.

Literature Review

This research is designed to provide evidence of the marketing, engagement, public health, and economic benefits of mural initiatives.  As part of the distribution of the study’s questionnaire and the advertisement of the job search portal, detailed materials about the community benefits will be distributed to the community leader respondents and published on the same website as the search portal.

Examples of Mural Initiatives in Georgia

Atlanta Beltline Murals. The Atlanta BeltLine Murals are a part of a large-scale redevelopment effort in Atlanta that began in 2005 and is slated to be completed in 2030. The redevelopment initiative encompasses a 22-mile urban trail lined with murals designed to revitalize the community. Special attention was paid to community impacts and scheduling the twenty-five-year, multi-stage process in a way that did as little harm as possible to the community (Ross et al., 2012). There was much public participation in the project, which has in large part contributed to the initiative’s success (Atlanta Beltline, n.d.). As a result, restaurants and retail stores have seen increased revenue; local small businesses have gained more support and engagement; more community events have occurred; the workforce has been bolstered; vacant spaces have been utilized; and community spaces have been revitalized (Center for Innovative Finance Support, n.d.). The initiative includes permanent and temporary sections, offering continuous opportunities for muralists (Atlanta Beltline, n.d.). The scale of this project brought in commercial district support, accounted for commercial affordability, and encouraged networking, which forms partnerships between artists and businesses (Atlanta Beltline Artist Opportunities, n.d.). The Atlanta Beltline Project is a driving economic and marketing redevelopment framework for community mural initiatives. https://beltline.org/art/  

Flint Energies Rural Murals. Flint Energies is an electric company serving almost 100,000 meters in middle Georgia (Flint Energies Service Area, n.d.). The company started their mural initiative to bolster the communities they serve and support the “incredibly talented artist community within middle Georgia” (Flint Energies Rural Murals, n.d). The team at Flint Energies identifies and partially funds projects that highlight positive images of the area’s culture. The economic goals are to bring travellers off the highway and onto the backroads. Their first mural was completed in 2019 in downtown Oglethorpe, Georgia. Since then, they have installed murals in Roberta, Fort Valley, Buena Vista, Butler, and Ellaville, Georgia. The murals are custom-made for each location to reflect the community’s individual voice. At each mural site, organizers included information about the other murals created in the initiative. The murals are always revealed at a “fun and creative setting that creates excitement for the community.” https://www.flintenergies.com/rural-murals 

Big Beautiful Deck Mural Project in Woodstock, GA. Begun in December 2024, the Big Beautiful Deck Project is a mural initiative that sought to install four murals in their City Center Parking Garage. This project was approved after ten months of public and committee input (Woodstock, GA, n.d.). Woodstock has transformed their central parking garage into a mural gallery and turned a forgettable functional space into a landmark.  Beautifying parking decks creates a more welcoming and unique environment to welcome visitors and residents (Gardocki, n.d.). A few benefits of this kind of mural initiative are tourism attractions, community branding, increased foot traffic, social media hotspots, and commerce landmarks. https://www.woodstockga.gov/your_government/departments/economic_development/publicart.php 

Benefits of Mural Initiatives

“Public murals boost local economies, attract visitors, and strengthen [community] branding” by utilizing vacant or underused areas (Gardocki, n.d.). City-backed mural initiatives are proven to vitalize local communities, increase traffic to nearby businesses, strengthen community brand identity, create social media hotspots leading to long-lasting free marketing publicity, and provide a welcoming environment for community visitors and residents (Fankhauser, n.d.). To develop the questionnaire, researchers studied these proven benefits of mural initiatives in the Georgia communities noted in the “Examples of Mural Initiatives in Georgia” section above. This information informs the questions about awareness of these benefits and grounds the topic as successful in areas the Georgia community leader respondent is familiar with.

Marketing

First, let’s discuss the numerous marketing benefits of mural initiatives for the community, artists, and local businesses. The fastest, most cost-effective, and independently trackable marketing benefit of community murals is its intrinsic social media success. From sketching to painting to final reveal, the entire process of mural creation is ripe with visually stimulating content easily transferable to social media marketing. Further, the installation modality of mural art creates excitement and is a lasting engagement booster both in person and online. 

Muros is a Chicago-based agency that surveyed one thousand people across the country on creative marketing trends. Their study showed that more than 41% of poll respondents said they share photos of community murals on social media, and 32% said they researched the associated brand (Muros, 2022). Through simple measures like hashtags and handle promotion at the installation site, organizers, artists, and public officials can track the public’s engagement and promote their brands. “Art delivers authenticity” (Muros, 2022). Authenticity is a key factor in modern marketing, especially on social media (Quesenberry, 2021). In that same Muros poll on creative marketing trends, 74% of respondents stated that they felt an artist-created mural is “more authentic” than other kinds of endorsements (Muros, 2022). Essential to delivering authenticity in community murals is the public’s participation in the community project. In community mural initiatives, artists are asked to create works that reflect the area’s culture, residents, and history (Brennan, 2019).

Beyond social media marketing, that same visually striking content is easily incorporated into traditional marketing campaigns. Communities should highlight mural initiatives in tourism marketing, event promotion, and informational materials to yield the most impactful results (Gardocki, n.d.). These initiatives strengthen the community’s brand and help to create a welcoming environment for residents and visitors alike. In the next section, we discuss community health benefits, including the utilization of vacant property in the community. This has an obvious marketing benefit in that mural initiatives make use of vacancies by creating and beautifying public spaces for everyone to enjoy. These transformation stories are perfect for traditional and social media marketing. The one-time investment and budgeted upkeep of mural initiatives can remain in the community’s tourism strategy long after the murals are painted, yielding long-lasting community benefits and brand recognition for the community and initiative stakeholders.

For example, the Atlanta BeltLine actively incorporated murals into the community marketing and brand strategy. Organizers, community leaders, and other stakeholders keep the project in the public experience through public participation, community events, and ever-changing temporary sections of the mural initiative. The city has created walking tours along the 22-mile route of trails in downtown Atlanta, which increases foot traffic and visitor engagement (Atlanta BeltLine, 2023). A by-product of that physical engagement is online engagement, where visitors take photos or videos of the space and tag the location or contributors on their social media accounts. These authentic engagements of locals and visitors having fun in public spaces add to the brand strategy with no active work from community leaders outside of budgeted maintenance.

Community Health

Second, let’s dive into the public health benefits of mural initiatives. Chief among those benefits are encouraging physical activity and healthy lifestyles; stimulating social interaction and cohesion; reducing stress, anxiety, and depression in the population; and revitalizing vacant or underused areas (General Code, n.d.).

“The American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine says making or even just seeing art can impact the brain. Whether it’s part of a creative arts therapy exercise, or something you experience in your everyday life, art can help increase serotonin levels, increase blood flow to the part of the brain associated with pleasure, foster new ways of thinking, and imagine a more hopeful future” (Mayo Clinic Press Editors, 2023).

Another great health benefit of mural initiatives is the utilization of vacant or abandoned spaces, which has proven health benefits for community members. The presence of vacant spaces has numerous negative effects. Physically, residents living in or near substandard housing are at higher risk for exposure to dangerous environmental toxins, leading to increased risk of “asthma, cardiovascular disease, higher aggression, learning disabilities, sexually transmitted diseases, and other poor health outcomes” (Center for Community Progress, n.d.). Emotionally, the visual signals of vacancy have been shown to increase risks of “sadness, depression, stress, and elevated rates of intentional injury” (Center for Community Progress, n.d.). Additionally, there are documented connections between vacancy and increased violent crime rates (Center for Community Progress, n.d.). Murals are a proven deterrent to the listed community problems. Murals are a cost-effective way to improve public health. These factors call for community leaders' direct attention to the productive utilization of vacant or abandoned areas in their leadership domain.

In 2012, Ross et al. published their paper, Health Impact Assessment of the Atlanta BeltLine. The study describes a comprehensive Health Impact Assessment (HIA) conducted on the Atlanta BeltLine project. HIAs help researchers produce evidence-based recommendations to policymakers in non-health sectors (e.g., transportation) (Ross et al., 2012). HIAs are needed to convince policymakers of the benefits of mural initiatives being incorporated into redevelopment strategy. They identify areas of need and where the redevelopment plans can have the biggest community health impacts. It also provides data for policymakers to reference in defending the need for such initiatives. Health concerns are not required to be considered in policymaking for “non-health” sectors, but are essential to achieving the community health and engagement increase sought by all community leaders. Ross et al. studied the Atlanta BeltLine and surrounding area, looking for changes in the pre-BeltLine adverse health factors documented in some marginalized populations (e.g., the elderly, people of color, and low-income households) (Ross et al., 2012). 

The overarching theme of Ross et al. is the importance of using HIAs to assess community health impacts for redevelopment planning and provide voluntary evidence-based recommendations to planning committees and policymakers. HIAs help to ensure the positive intent of redevelopment plans comes to fruition through a preemptive focus on accessibility, social equity, physical activity, safety, social capital, and environmental impact (Ross et al., 2012).

Community Engagement

Now, let’s highlight the community engagement benefits of mural initiatives. The entire process of mural development engages the community. While it is being created, residents and visitors are interested in the progress and visible stages of the artwork coming to life. The final reveal is a perfect opportunity to plan a community event (Flint Energies Rural Murals, n.d.). Beyond the mural reveal event, murals create visual centerpieces for community events well into the future. History has shown that “mural art has been—and continues to be— a democratic art” (Conrad, 1995). Democracies cannot exist without community engagement. Community murals “Strive for unity and cohesion in visual expression (Conrad, 1995). To do so, the artist must engage with the community members to accurately reflect their history and culture.

A welcoming and engaging setting increases community socialization and engagement naturally. It also generates natural news coverage of mural creation, reveal, and subsequent community events. Public murals serve as sought-after social media hotspots, which increases foot traffic and online engagement with area governance, organizers, artists, and other stakeholders. We have discussed the social media engagement benefits in the marketing section, so we will be brief here. Mural initiatives are lasting and cost-effective strategies for increasing social media engagement between the public and community organizers, artists, and leaders (Muros, 2022).

Economy

Finally, let’s explore the proven benefits to the local economy and surrounding businesses. One of those economic benefits is the utilization of vacant, abandoned, or underutilized spaces. Many negative economic factors are associated with vacant or abandoned areas in a community, such as a decrease in property equity and higher insurance premiums (Center for Community Progress, n.d.). Vacant spaces in a community can also negatively affect public finances by decreasing taxable property and increasing the risk of mortgage and tax foreclosures (Center for Community Progress, n.d.).

Public murals have also been proven to boost local economies beyond the utilization of vacant spaces in the community. “Businesses near murals see up to 20% more foot traffic” (Gardocki, n.d.). Local businesses also benefit from potential merchandising collaborations with muralists. For example, Squidly Design is an art business that secured its first brick-and-mortar location in 2021. The owners of Squidly Design recognized the power of murals to draw customers and sought to collaborate with a local muralist to bring their storefront vision to life. The completed mural draws customers and engagement continuously, but has also been the centerpiece for events sponsored by the store, which led to record sales days. The partnership has continued to benefit the muralist, Brianna Gardocki, as well. Squidly Design “now stocks several of [Gardocki’s] art prints, stickers, enamel pins, and greeting cards” (Gardocki, 2021).

Murals are a cost-effective way for community leaders to evoke sustainable improvements in their communities and engage their constituents in discussion, collaboration, and ownership of public spaces (Petronienė & Juzelėnienė, 2022). “Murals as a publicly accessible form of art attract visitors, local and international tourists, and possible business investments, and thus create a more economically stable environment, enhancing the value of the city in the process” (Petronienė & Juzelėnienė, 2022). Large-scale community planning projects (e.g., Atlanta BeltLine, Flint Energies Rural Murals, or Big Beautiful Deck) represent the most return on investment on mural initiatives and have proven the potential to elevate communities and drive economic growth. Communities are seemingly always exploring options to redevelop, revitalize, and grow positive community sentiment. It is a natural step for these proven strategies that do just that to be taken seriously in discussions of public fund allocation, not as an afterthought with leftover funds, but as a free-standing initiative with proven dividends.

Measures

Research Method: Survey

Unit of Analysis: Community Leaders in Georgia (neighborhood, city, county, state)

Unit of Observation: Individual Leader Responses

The goal of the current study is to gather quantitative data representing a community leader’s power to financially support, track record of support, awareness of community benefits, current mural opportunities, and willingness to support mural initiatives in their leadership domain. A secondary goal of this study is to spread awareness about the benefits of mural initiatives. The data gathered in this study will be analyzed to inform a statewide search portal for mural opportunities filterable by neighborhood, city, or county, depending on the end-user’s need. Due to the inherent turnover of community leaders, this survey should be submitted to every new serving member. The respondents are asked if they consent to abbreviated follow-up inquiries about current or upcoming mural initiatives in their leadership domain.

Independent Variables: 

• Respondent Data: it refers to the respondent’s level of governance (neighborhood, city, county, or state), the respondent’s official title, and whether the respondent is charged with public fund allocation and community improvement incentivization

  
  

  • Measure: Question 1 I will assess the respondents’ level of governance via one question with four response options: 1) neighborhood, 2) city, 3) county, and 4) state. The respondent is asked to select one option. (possible range = 1-4)

    
    

  •  Measure: Question 2 I will record the respondents' titles, organizations, and governance areas via a short-answer question. Three required blanks will be provided. 

    
    

  • Measure: Questions 3 and 4 I will assess whether the respondent is charged with allocation of public funds and/or business incentivization for community improvements via two questions with two response options: 1) Yes or 2) No. For both questions, the respondent is asked to select one option. (possible range = 1-2)

    
    

• Past Support for Mural Initiatives: it refers to the respondent’s prior record of financial support for mural initiatives

  
  

  • Measure: Question 5 I will assess whether the respondent has previously allocated funds supporting mural initiatives via one question with two responses: 1) Yes or 2) No. The respondent is asked to select one option. (possible range = 1-2)

    
    

  • Measure: Question 6 I will assess whether the respondent’s governance area offers local businesses incentives for partnering with muralists via one question with two response options: 1) Yes or 2) No. The respondent is asked to select one option. (possible range = 1-2)

    
    

  • Measure: Question 7 I will assess whether there are existing or in-progress community murals in the respondent’s domain via one question with three response options: 1) Yes, we have many community murals; 2) Yes, we have one or two community murals; or 3) No, we do not have community murals. The respondent is asked to select one option. (possible range = 1-3)

    
    

  • Measure: Question 8 I will assess if maintenance on community murals has been budgeted into annual spending via one question with two response options: 1) Yes or 2) No. The respondent is asked to select one option. (possible range = 1-2)

    
    

• Marketing Benefits: it refers to the return on investment in the form of lasting and diverse marketing benefits for the community

  
  

  • Measure: Question 9 I will assess the respondent’s knowledge of the marketing benefits of community mural initiatives via one question with six response options detailed in the questionnaire below. The respondent is asked to select all options that apply. (possible range = 1-6)

    
    

• Community Engagement Benefits: it refers to the return on investment in the form of community engagement and responsibility for public spaces

  • Measure: Question 10 I will assess the respondent’s knowledge of the community engagement benefits of mural initiatives via one question with six response options detailed in the questionnaire below. The respondent is asked to select all options that apply. (possible range = 1-6)

    
    

• Community Health Benefits: it refers to the return on investment in the form of public health improvements

  • Measure: Question 11 I will assess the respondent’s knowledge of the community health benefits of community mural initiatives via one question with five response options detailed in the questionnaire below. The respondent is asked to select all options that apply. (possible range = 1-5)

    
    

• Economic Benefits: it refers to the fiscal return on investment

  
  

  • Measure: Question 12 I will assess the respondent’s knowledge of the economic benefits of community mural initiatives via one question with five response options detailed in the questionnaire below. The respondent is asked to select all options that apply. (possible range = 1-5)

    
    

• Detailed Information: it refers to the respondents' want for more detailed information on the benefits of mural initiatives

  
  

  • Measure: Question 13 I will assess whether the respondent would like more detailed information on the community benefits of mural opportunities via one question with two response options: 1) Yes or 2) No. The respondent is asked to select one option. (possible range = 1-2)

    
    

  • Measure: Question 18 I will log whether the respondent would like infographics describing best practices for mural initiatives sent to their office via one question with two response options: 1) Yes or 2) No. The respondent is asked to select one option. (possible range = 1=2)

    
    

• Current Mural Opportunities: it refers to reported current mural opportunities in the community leaders’ domain

  
  

  • Measure: Question 14 I will assess whether there are current mural opportunities in the respondent’s domain via one question with two response options: 1) Yes or 2) No. The respondent is asked to select one option. (possible range = 1-2)

    
    

  • Measure: Question 15 I will gather information on reported current opportunities by asking for the mural initiative(s) organizer's contact information and/or website links for details via a short-answer question. There will be at least 5 lines provided.

    
    

• Commitment to Support: it refers to the community leaders' commitment to investigate possible avenues to support mural initiatives through public funding or endorsement

  
  

  • Measure: Question 16 I will assess the respondent’s commitment to support mural initiatives as integral to successful community revitalization via one question with three response options: 1) Yes, I am strongly convinced of their benefits; 2) Maybe, I will bring this information to my team and I am at least reasonably convinced of the benefits; or 3) No, I am not convinced of the benefits. The respondent is asked to select one option. (possible range = 1-3)

    
    

• Consent to Follow Up: it refers to the community leaders’ consent to be contacted biannually by the research team to update the search portal with new opportunities

  
  

  • Measure: Question 17 I will log the respondent’s consent to biannual follow-up inquiries about current and future mural initiatives in their leadership domain via one question with two response options: 1) Yes or 2) No. The respondent is asked to select one option. (possible range = 1-2)

    
    

  • Measure: Question 19 I will record the respondent’s organizational email address via one question asking for a short-answer response. 

    
    

Dependent Variable:

• Power to Financially Support Mural Initiatives: it refers to respondents’ position, organization, and their ability to allocate funds, resources, or incentivize businesses in support of mural initiatives

  
  

  • Measure: Using Questions 1-4 Information on the community leaders’ title, organization, and ability to fiscally support mural initiatives will be assessed by noting responses to questions 1-4. This data will inform the depiction of various overlapping municipalities in which local muralists should seek opportunities.

    
    

  • Measure: Using Question 5 Information on previous financial support for mural initiatives will be assessed by recording response data and comparing that to documented public funding support in the community leader’s domain. This information demonstrates current ability and commitment to supporting mural initiatives.

    
    

• Previous Support for Mural Initiatives: it refers to documented financial support through public funding and/or offering business incentives for financial support (e.g., tax credits, low-interest loans, and grants
  

  • Measure: Questions 5-8 Information on previous support for mural initiatives will be assessed through noting response data on previous public fund allocations or business incentives, current fund allocation or incentives for businesses, existing or in-progress murals, and the amount of consideration for budgeted maintenance. This information, analyzed together, will provide a track record for the community’s engagement with mural initiatives and their consideration of the long-term maintenance of such projects.
    

• Awareness of the Benefits: it refers to the knowledge of various community benefits that result from instituting mural initiatives (marketing, community engagement, public health, and economic)
  

  • Measure: Using Questions 9-12 Information on the awareness of each of the four benefit categories will be collected. Respondents are asked to select benefits they are aware of in each sphere. This will provide data on where researchers should focus their benefit education materials (e.g., pamphlets or blog posts explaining the benefits of mural initiatives. This information is helpful to the search portal user by providing insight on what areas to focus on in potential initiative proposals.
    

  • Measure: Using Question 13 Insight on the respondents’ want for more information will gauge the community leader’s interest in mural initiatives and willingness to be contacted with more detailed information.
    

  • Measure: Question 18 This question records contact information for respondents who want more information on the community benefits of mural initiatives.
    

• Current Mural Opportunities: it refers to reported current opportunities in the respondent’s leadership domain
  

  • Measure: Questions 14 and 15This information will feed the search portal, reporting current opportunities for practicing muralists. The first question generally asks if there are active mural projects, and the second asks for contact information and websites for more details on current opportunities. The researcher will look further into reported opportunities and update the search portal with as much information as possible.
    

• Likelihood of Future Opportunities: it refers to the potential for future mural initiative opportunities filterable by municipality
  

  • Measure: Questions 5-8 Information on previous support for mural initiatives will be assessed through noting response data on previous and current public fund allocations or business incentives, existing or in-progress murals, and the amount of consideration for budgeted maintenance. This information, analyzed together, will provide a track record for the community’s engagement with mural initiatives and their consideration of the long-term maintenance of such projects.
    

  • Measure: Questions 13 and 18 Information on the respondents’ want for more information will gauge the community leader’s interest in mural initiatives and willingness to be contacted with more detailed information. This interest indicates possible opportunities.
    

  • Measure: Question 16 This question gauges whether the respondent is convinced of the community benefits of mural initiatives and whether they commit to pursuing mural initiatives in a non-legally binding capacity.
    

  • Measure: Questions 17 This information indicates consent to follow up with a short survey sent biannually to inquire about current opportunities and keep the search portal updated.
    

  • Measure: Question 19 This question gathers contact information for those who have consented to follow-up inquiries and information.

    
    

Questionnaire

Respondent Data

1. What level of governance do you serve? (select one option)

   1. Neighborhood (e.g., Georgetown Community Services Association)

   2. City (e.g., Savannah)

   3. County (e.g., Chatham County)

   4. State (e.g., Georgia Department of Community Affairs)
      

2. What is your official title (e.g., Commissioner), organization name (e.g., Georgia Department of Community Affairs), and the name of your area of governance (e.g., City of Savannah, Georgia)?

   1. [capture response, three blanks] 
      

3. Are you charged with public fund allocation for community improvement initiatives? (select one option)

   1. Yes

   2. No
      

4. Does your position allow you to incentivize local businesses toward supporting mural initiatives? (select one option)

   1. Yes

   2. No
      

Past Support for Mural Initiatives

5. Have you allocated public funds to mural initiatives in the past? (select one option)

   1. Yes

   2. No
      

6. Does your governance area offer local businesses incentives to collaborate with muralists (e.g., tax credits, low-interest loans, or grants)? (select one option)

   1. Yes

   2. No
      

7. Are there community murals or in-progress murals in your area of governance? (If no, skip the next question.) (select one option)

   1. Yes, we have many community murals.

   2. Yes, we have one or two community murals.

   3. No, we do not have community murals.
      

8. Is maintenance of the existing or in-progress community murals budgeted into annual spending? (select one option)

   1. Yes

   2. No
      

Awareness of Benefits

9. Which of the following marketing benefits are you aware of? (select all options that apply)

   1. Authentic activity and excitement, which boost marketing efforts naturally

   2. Natural promotion for stakeholders (muralist, community, local businesses)

   3. Striking visual content in person and online, which boosts popularity for the area by word of mouth marketing

   4. Strengthening the community brand, content for tourism materials

   5. Community-budgeted maintenance keeps these murals a striking part of the community for years to come, for minimal cost

   6. None of the above
      

10. Which of the following community engagement benefits are you aware of? (select all options that apply)

    1. Centerpiece for community events and socialization

    2. Strengthening the community tourism strategy

    3. Creation of a sought-after social media hotspot

    4. Creates natural news coverage during the creation process and community events

    5. Creates a welcoming environment for locals and tourists

    6. None of the above
       

11. Which of the following community health benefits are you aware of? (select all options that apply)

    1. Encouraging community members to go outside for fresh air and physical activity

    2. Encouraging healthy and connected lifestyles

    3. Revitalizing vacant areas

    4. Positive physical impacts on the brain

    5. None of the above
       

12. Which of the following economic benefits are you aware of? (select all options that apply)

    1. Utilization of vacant and underused spaces

    2. Merchandising contracts that provide products for local businesses

    3. Financial security for muralists

    4. Businesses located near murals see increased sales and foot traffic

    5. None of the above
       

13. Would you like more information on these benefits? (select one option)

    1. Yes

    2. No
       

Current Opportunities

14. Are there currently any mural initiatives in your area of governance (neighborhood, city, county, or state)? (If no, skip the next question.) (select one option)

    1. Yes

    2. No
       

15. For each opportunity, please record the organizers’ contact information and/or a website for more information about the opportunity.

    1. [capture response(s)]
       

Commitment to Support

16. Given the proven benefits, will you pursue (or continue to pursue) mural initiatives in community improvement planning as an integral piece of revitalization efforts in your leadership domain? (This question is not binding but meant to indicate the probability of mural initiative opportunities in the future.) (select one option)

    1. Yes, I am strongly convinced of their benefits.

    2. Maybe. I will bring this information to my team, and I am at least reasonably convinced of the benefits.

    3. No, I am not convinced of the benefits.
       

Consent to Follow Up

17. Will you agree to respond to abbreviated bi-annual survey inquiries sent via email about current and future mural initiatives in your leadership domain while you serve in your position of authority? (select one option)

    1. Yes

    2. No
       

18. Would you like to receive infographics about best practices for mural initiatives? (select one option)

    1. Yes

    2. No
       

19. Please provide the organization’s monitored email address. (This will be used to send the follow-up questionnaire and/or infographics sharing sources and more detailed explanations of the community benefits of mural initiatives.)

    1. [capture response] 

    
    

References

Atlanta Beltline. (n.d.). Bringing Atlanta Together, One Mile at a Time. Atlanta BeltLine. https://beltline.org/visit/ 

Atlanta Beltline. (n.d.) Grow Your Craft with the Beltline. Art Entrepreneurship Opportunities. https://beltline.org/work/artist-opportunities/ 

Atlanta BeltLine. (2023). Join the Beltline MarketPlace. Atlanta Beltline. https://beltline.org/blog/join-beltline-marketplace/ 

Brennan, J. (2019). Public Art and the Art of Public Participation. National Civil League https://www.nationalcivicleague.org/ncr-article/public-art-and-the-art-of-public-participation/#:~:te

Center for Community Progress. (n.d.). How Vacant and Abandoned Buildings Affect Communities. Center for Community Progress - Blog. https://communityprogress.org/blog/how-vacant-abandoned-buildings-affect-community/ 

Center for Innovative Finance Support. (n.d.). Project Profile: Atlanta Beltline. Office of Performance and Innovative Finance. https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/ipd/project_profiles/ga_atlanta_beltline.aspx 

Conrad, D. (1995). Community Murals as Democratic Art and Education. Journal of Aesthetic Education, 29(1), 98–102. https://doi.org/10.2307/3333522 

Conrad, D. (1995). Community Murals as Democratic Art and Education. Journal of Aesthetic Education, 29(1), 98–102. https://doi.org/10.2307/3333522 

Conrad, D. (1995). Community Murals as Democratic Art and Education. Journal of Aesthetic Education, 29(1), 98–102. https://doi.org/10.2307/3333522 

Flint Energies. (n.d.) Rural Murals. https://www.flintenergies.com/rural-murals 

Flint Energies (n.d) Service Area. https://www.flintenergies.com/service-area 

Fankhauser, D. (n.d.). A Must-Have Marketing Strategy for Local Businesses. Excel Sign Co. https://excelkc.com/blog/mural-signage/#:~:text=Increased%20brand%20awareness%20and%20visibility,in%20a%20cost%2Defficient%20manner. 

Gardocki, B. (n.d.). Practicing Atlanta Muralist: Brianna Gardocki https://www.briannagardocki.com/articles/why-public-murals-matter 

Gardocki, B. (2021). Behind the Scenes of the Robot Squid Mural At Squidly Store. Brianna Gardocki. https://www.briannagardocki.com/projects/the-squidly-store-mural 

General Code. (n.d.) Street Art and Murals Legislation. General Code. https://www.generalcode.com/blog/street-art-and-murals-legislation/#:~:text=By%20creating%20visually%20appealing%20settings,Taking%20the%20initiative 

Georgia Mural Trail. (n.d). Georgia Mural Trail and Now American Mural Trail. https://www.georgiamuraltrail.com/ 

Joyce. (2024). Muralist Artist: What Is It And How to Become One? CanvasLot. https://blog.canvaslot.com/mural-artist-what-is-it-and-how-to-become-one/#:~:text=A%20mural%20artist%20is%20a,vibrant%2C%20large%2Dscale%20imagery. 

Lee, B., Fraser, I., and Fillis, I. (2018). Creative futures for new contemporary artists: Opportunities and barriers. International Journal of Arts Management Vol. 20:2 9-19. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/323152790_Creative_futures_for_new_contemporary_artists_Opportunities_and_barriers 

Mayo Clinic Press Editors. (2023). The intersection of art and health: How art can help promote well-being. Mayo Clinic - Living Well. https://mcpress.mayoclinic.org/living-well/the-intersection-of-art-and-health-how-art-can-help-promote-well-being/ 

Muros. (2022). Muros’ 2022 Survey Reveals Five Creative Marketing Trends. PR Newswire. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/muros-2022-survey-reveals-five-creative-marketing-trends-301524279.html  

Petronienė, S., & Juzelėnienė, S. (2022). Community Engagement via Mural Art to Foster a Sustainable Urban Environment. Sustainability, 14(16), 10063. https://doi.org/10.3390/su141610063 

Quesenberry, K. A. (2021). Social Media Strategy: Marketing, Advertising, and Public Relations in the Consumer Revolution (3rd ed.). Rowan & Littlefield. 

Ross, C. L., Leone da Nie, K., Dannenberg, A., Beck, L. F., Marcus, M. J., and Barringer, J. (2012). Health Impact Assessment of the Atlanta Beltline. American Journal of Preventive Medicine. 42:3 203-213. DOI: 10.1016/j.amepre.2011.10.019 

Woodstock, GA. (n.d.) Public Art Program. City of Woodstock. https://www.woodstockga.gov/your_government/departments/economic_development/publicart.php