The Chautauqua County Partnership for Economic Growth and Chautauqua County Department of Planning and Development are pleased to announce five world-renowed muralists have been selected to paint four large-scale, public murals during the inaugural Paint CHQ mural festival slated for the second week of September.
Four communities have been selected to host the murals. They are Dunkirk, Falconer, Sherman and Westfield. The participating artists and their mural site locations are Alain Welter (Dunkirk), Mandi Caskey (Falconer), Emily Ding and Justin Suarez (Sherman), Dom Laporte (Westfield). These nationally and internationally recognized artists are from Luxembourg in western Europe; Columbus Ohio; Houston, Texas; Rochester, New York and Ottawa, Ontario.
The Paint CHQ mural festival celebrations kick off on Friday, September 12 at 5:00 in Westfield with other community events in Dunkirk, Falconer and Sherman continuing all day on Saturday, September 13.
In addition to the installation of the murals in each community, Paint CHQ will also feature Artist Talks from September 8 through September 11. Each Artist Talk is a free event open to the public which is encouraged to meet with the muralists, hear about their careers and ask questions. The full Artist Talk schedule can be found online at the link below.
The public murals would not be possible without the cooperations from the four property owners who each signed up to participate in the Paint CHQ mural festival.
The Colburn Block in Dunkirk at 123 Central Avenue
States Lanes in Falconer at 16 E. Main Street
The Cornerstone Restaurant in Sherman at 104 E. Main Street.
Grace & Abe's in Westfield at 14 N. Portage Street
The public is encouraged to visit the mural sites to watch the mural progress, but they are asked to maintain a safe distance from heavy equipment and save their questions for the Artist Talks. The mural themes will highlight community themese and celebrate the region by creating themes that feature native wildlife along with the agricultural and fishing industries.
Westfield mural, in progress
Photo taken September 1, 2025.
