Color Wave Walls brings 11 New Murals by Global Artists to Downtown Lakeland in November
Color Wave Walls is a new public art initiative transforming downtown Lakeland into an open-air mural museum from November 6 – 14.
This November, downtown Lakeland will become the canvas for a new chapter in the city’s cultural landscape as Color Wave Walls launches its inaugural event, bringing 11 artists from across the United States and around the world to create large-scale murals throughout the downtown area.
Founded by Lakeland-based artists Gillian Fazio and Katerina Santos, with Juan Travieso serving as Director of Operations, Color Wave Walls is a biennial public art initiative created with a long-term vision: to build a walkable, evolving open-air mural museum that makes contemporary art accessible to everyone while creating meaningful opportunities for artists, businesses, residents, students, and visitors to connect.
Artists will arrive in Lakeland beginning November 4, 2026, and murals will be created throughout downtown through November 18. The inaugural Color Wave celebration will take place November 6–14, featuring opportunities for the public to watch artists at work, participate in community mural projects, attend artist conversations, and experience the city through a new creative lens.
FROM LAKELAND TO THE WORLD - AND THE WORLD TO LAKELAND
The response to Color Wave’s inaugural artist call demonstrated the reach of the project before the first mural was ever painted. The organization received 438 artist submissions representing 33 states and 21 countries. Following a review by an eight-person selection panel, Color Wave assembled a group of artists representing a range of backgrounds, styles, techniques, and perspectives.
The 2026 program includes artists with connections to Florida, Georgia, France, Canada, Australia, Spain, and the Netherlands, alongside Polk County representation.
For the founders, bringing outside perspectives into Lakeland is intentional. Color Wave is designed not only to showcase the creative talent already present in Central Florida, but to encourage cultural exchange between local artists, students and residents and creatives working across the country and abroad.“Public art has an incredible ability to change the way people experience a place, ” said Color Wave co-founders Katerina Santos and Gillian Fazio. “We want someone to be able to walk through downtown Lakeland, encounter work they may never have seen otherwise, watch an artist from another part of the world create it in real time, and feel like art belongs to them too. Our goal is for these walls to become part of the cultural identity of our city.
AN OPEN-AIR MUSEUM WITHOUT DOORS
Rather than viewing the project as a traditional mural festival that disappears when the event
concludes, Color Wave is building a permanent and evolving collection of public artwork
throughout Lakeland.
The organization plans to return biennially, adding new murals and artists with each edition and gradually creating a destination visitors can explore year-round.
There is no admission price, gallery door or prerequisite for experiencing the work. A person
can encounter a mural on the way to work, a family can discover one while walking downtown, or a student can stand feet away from an artist creating something monumental. That accessibility is central to Color Wave’s mission.
PUTTING ARTISTS FIRST
Color Wave was also built from the perspective of working artists. Its founders understand firsthand the financial and logistical barriers muralists often face when participating in public art events. The organization is working to provide participating artists with support including artist fees, travel, accommodations, paint and materials, equipment, wall preparation and on-the-ground assistance, allowing artists to focus on creating ambitious work rather than absorbing the costs of bringing it to life.
The initiative has been made possible through collaboration among local businesses, property owners, community organizations, sponsors, donors and volunteers who have invested in the idea that public art can contribute to Lakeland’s cultural and economic vitality.
MORE THAN MURALS
Color Wave is designed to create opportunities for people to interact with the artists behind the work. Throughout the November event, the community will be invited to visit mural locations and experience the creative process as it happens.
Programming will also include community mural opportunities during the Lakeland Downtown Farmers Curb Market on November 7th and 14th from 8am-2pm and a Public Wave Maker Artist Talk on November 12, creatingspaces for residents and students to hear directly from participating artists about their work, careers and creative processes.
The murals themselves, however, are intended to continue telling the story long after the artists leave.
BUILDING A CREATIVE LEGACY FOR LAKELAND
At its core, Color Wave is an investment in what Lakeland can become. The organization sees public art as a tool for cultural exchange, education, tourism, economic activity, civic pride and placemaking. By bringing artists from different places into conversation with Lakeland's own creative community, Color Wave hopes to introduce new perspectives while
creating opportunities for local artists and young people to imagine larger creative futures for
themselves.
“This is about what happens when a community gives artists the space and support to create
something extraordinary,” said Santos and Fazio.“We want people to travel here to see these
walls, but just as importantly, we want the people who live here to feel proud that this exists in their city. This first year is only the beginning.”
Color Wave Walls will take place throughout downtown Lakeland from November 4–18, 2026, with official programming taking place November 6–14.
Additional announcements, including the complete artist lineup, mural locations, public
programming, community participation opportunities and the official mural map, will be released leading up to the event.
For more information: Colorwavewalls.com
Gotta Go Orlando is your local source for the latest Entertainment News, Events and Things To Do throughout Central Florida. Discover Concerts, Theater, Arts & Culture, Nightlife, Food & Drink. Theme Parks & Attractions, Festivals, Events, and more.
Before going to any event listed on Gotta Go Orlando, it's advisable to reach out to the organizer or venue to verify the event's status, as details, changes, and cancellations may happen. Gotta Go Orlando do not organize any of the events listed on our website.
Contact Us:
You can contact us Here. To advertise with us, Click Here. To list your upcoming event, Submit It Here.
Newsletter:
Sign Up For Our Newsletter and stay in the loop with all the latest news from Central Florida delivered daily to your mailbox.
Social Media:
Join the local conversation on X, Facebook, and Instagram, plus, for extended Orlando coverage, catch the latest on our YouTube channel.
Comments