Johnson City Public Art Committee selects Art Struck artists

The Johnson City Public Art Committee has selected 56 artists to booth at its 2026 Art Struck Festival after receiving over 100 applications, according to its festival chair. The JCPAC held their monthly meeting Wednesday to share updates on upcoming projects and events, like the Art Struck festival. At the JCPAC meeting, Art Struck Festival Chair Spicey Pate mentioned some highlights of the event, including a professional chalk artist, chalk art competition and stilt walker. She also said the festival will feature a screen printer demonstration by local artists from Crystal Cat Design Co. Art Struck will take place at Founders Park on April 25 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. In addition to the updates on the festival, committee members discussed a new mural project that city commissioners greenlighted in January. During Wednesday's meeting, JCPAC Management Analyst Cheyenne Kumbhare said the artist contracted to work on the project, Puerto Rican muralist David Zayas, could begin working on the mural as early as late spring. "He is very excited and I think he's pushing for late spring and early summer," Kumbhare said. Zayas is also contracted to participate in one city community engagement activity, which could look like a public talk or presentation about the mural project, according to Kumbhare. The $25,000 mural project will be located at 407 E. State of Franklin Road near the I-26 exit to downtown, facing Main Street. According to the Jan. 8 city commission agenda, the mural is inspired by the work of local poets and designed to symbolically portray the beauty of nature. Zayas has over 20 years of experience that can be seen on walls in over 10 countries, including Colombia, Argentina, Peru, Israel and the United States. He has also collaborated with international brands including Royal Caribbean, Hilton, Starbucks and USPS.