The Muralist’s Toolkit: Mural Project Planning from Vision to Execution
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This expert-led online course provides a comprehensive "how-to" guide to community muralism, covering everything from the practical skills needed to execute large-scale public art projects to techniques for gathering community input on mural themes and designs. Through real-life examples and actionable strategies, participants will learn how to craft compelling artist statements, develop strong project pitches, and deliver effective design presentations. The course also delves into essential topics like budgeting, project planning, contracts, and insurance, ensuring artists are well-equipped to manage logistics successfully. Gain insights into mural design fundamentals and master effective community engagement techniques.
This fully virtual course combines engaging presentations, interactive group work, and offline practice assignments to reinforce learning. Participants will also receive exclusive, customizable templates for budgets, project plans, contracts, and more—equipping them with the tools to bring their mural vision to life.
This course will be all virtual, once a week for 7 weeks on Tuesdays from 6 - 9PM EST from January 13 - February 25, 2026
COURSE TOPICS:
Intro to the course & the history of muralism in the US
Successfully bidding for projects, including artist statements, project pitches, where to find mural RFPs
Mural project budgeting, including a customizable template for building a budget for any mural project
Project planning and logistics, contracts and insurance, including templates and resources
Intro to mural design - framework for considering key mural design elements
Community design input techniques - overview of activities that can be used to gather community input into designs, including how-to guides and templates
Design presentations - overview of design presentation best practices, including templates for presentations
MEET YOUR INTRUCTORS
Greta McLain:
Greta McLain, Founder and Creative Director of GoodSpace Murals, has over 20 years of mural making experience. She trained under Malaquias Montoya (California), Melina Slobodian (Argentina), and Josh Sarantitis (New York and the Philadelphia Mural Arts Program) and has had the great privilege of partnering and collaborating with muralists around the world. Greta is committed to using muralism to explore the ways that art can bring communities together, the power of visual language to activate voice, and the potential of art as a vehicle for hands-on organizing and educating. Greta was born and raised in Minneapolis. She currently works out of Guanajuato, Mexico and travels doing projects wherever community art can be activated as a tool for positive community engagement! She earned her BA from the University of California Davis and her MFA from Minneapolis College of Art and Design.
Founder of GoodSpace Murals with 20+ years of experience, Greta McLain uses art to unite communities and amplify voices. She’s worked across the US and globally, partnering with communities and artists to create impactful mural projects. Greta believes in art as a tool for organizing and education. She holds a BA from UC Davis and an MFA from Minneapolis College of Art and Design.
Britt Ruhe:
Britt Ruhe is an experienced mural project manager and creative placemaker dedicated to transforming communities through public art. As the Executive Director of Common Wealth Murals, she has led the development of over 90 murals and raised over $1.7M for public art projects. With over 20 years of experience in nonprofit leadership, strategic planning, and mentorship, Britt’s expertise includes artist selection, public engagement strategies, coordinating with local governments and host organizations, start-to-finish management of project logistics, publicity, and grant writing. A passionate advocate for artists and creative placemaking, she leverages public art to foster community pride, empower under-resourced neighborhoods, and drive social and economic impact.
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This expert-led online course provides a comprehensive "how-to" guide to community muralism, covering everything from the practical skills needed to execute large-scale public art projects to techniques for gathering community input on mural themes and designs. Through real-life examples and actionable strategies, participants will learn how to craft compelling artist statements, develop strong project pitches, and deliver effective design presentations. The course also delves into essential topics like budgeting, project planning, contracts, and insurance, ensuring artists are well-equipped to manage logistics successfully. Gain insights into mural design fundamentals and master effective community engagement techniques.
This fully virtual course combines engaging presentations, interactive group work, and offline practice assignments to reinforce learning. Participants will also receive exclusive, customizable templates for budgets, project plans, contracts, and more—equipping them with the tools to bring their mural vision to life.
This course will be all virtual, once a week for 7 weeks on Tuesdays from 6 - 9PM EST from January 13 - February 25, 2026
COURSE TOPICS:
Intro to the course & the history of muralism in the US
Successfully bidding for projects, including artist statements, project pitches, where to find mural RFPs
Mural project budgeting, including a customizable template for building a budget for any mural project
Project planning and logistics, contracts and insurance, including templates and resources
Intro to mural design - framework for considering key mural design elements
Community design input techniques - overview of activities that can be used to gather community input into designs, including how-to guides and templates
Design presentations - overview of design presentation best practices, including templates for presentations
MEET YOUR INTRUCTORS
Greta McLain:
Greta McLain, Founder and Creative Director of GoodSpace Murals, has over 20 years of mural making experience. She trained under Malaquias Montoya (California), Melina Slobodian (Argentina), and Josh Sarantitis (New York and the Philadelphia Mural Arts Program) and has had the great privilege of partnering and collaborating with muralists around the world. Greta is committed to using muralism to explore the ways that art can bring communities together, the power of visual language to activate voice, and the potential of art as a vehicle for hands-on organizing and educating. Greta was born and raised in Minneapolis. She currently works out of Guanajuato, Mexico and travels doing projects wherever community art can be activated as a tool for positive community engagement! She earned her BA from the University of California Davis and her MFA from Minneapolis College of Art and Design.
Founder of GoodSpace Murals with 20+ years of experience, Greta McLain uses art to unite communities and amplify voices. She’s worked across the US and globally, partnering with communities and artists to create impactful mural projects. Greta believes in art as a tool for organizing and education. She holds a BA from UC Davis and an MFA from Minneapolis College of Art and Design.
Britt Ruhe:
Britt Ruhe is an experienced mural project manager and creative placemaker dedicated to transforming communities through public art. As the Executive Director of Common Wealth Murals, she has led the development of over 90 murals and raised over $1.7M for public art projects. With over 20 years of experience in nonprofit leadership, strategic planning, and mentorship, Britt’s expertise includes artist selection, public engagement strategies, coordinating with local governments and host organizations, start-to-finish management of project logistics, publicity, and grant writing. A passionate advocate for artists and creative placemaking, she leverages public art to foster community pride, empower under-resourced neighborhoods, and drive social and economic impact.
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This expert-led online course provides a comprehensive "how-to" guide to community muralism, covering everything from the practical skills needed to execute large-scale public art projects to techniques for gathering community input on mural themes and designs. Through real-life examples and actionable strategies, participants will learn how to craft compelling artist statements, develop strong project pitches, and deliver effective design presentations. The course also delves into essential topics like budgeting, project planning, contracts, and insurance, ensuring artists are well-equipped to manage logistics successfully. Gain insights into mural design fundamentals and master effective community engagement techniques.
This fully virtual course combines engaging presentations, interactive group work, and offline practice assignments to reinforce learning. Participants will also receive exclusive, customizable templates for budgets, project plans, contracts, and more—equipping them with the tools to bring their mural vision to life.
This course will be all virtual, once a week for 7 weeks on Tuesdays from 6 - 9PM EST from January 13 - February 25, 2026
COURSE TOPICS:
Intro to the course & the history of muralism in the US
Successfully bidding for projects, including artist statements, project pitches, where to find mural RFPs
Mural project budgeting, including a customizable template for building a budget for any mural project
Project planning and logistics, contracts and insurance, including templates and resources
Intro to mural design - framework for considering key mural design elements
Community design input techniques - overview of activities that can be used to gather community input into designs, including how-to guides and templates
Design presentations - overview of design presentation best practices, including templates for presentations
MEET YOUR INTRUCTORS
Greta McLain:
Greta McLain, Founder and Creative Director of GoodSpace Murals, has over 20 years of mural making experience. She trained under Malaquias Montoya (California), Melina Slobodian (Argentina), and Josh Sarantitis (New York and the Philadelphia Mural Arts Program) and has had the great privilege of partnering and collaborating with muralists around the world. Greta is committed to using muralism to explore the ways that art can bring communities together, the power of visual language to activate voice, and the potential of art as a vehicle for hands-on organizing and educating. Greta was born and raised in Minneapolis. She currently works out of Guanajuato, Mexico and travels doing projects wherever community art can be activated as a tool for positive community engagement! She earned her BA from the University of California Davis and her MFA from Minneapolis College of Art and Design.
Founder of GoodSpace Murals with 20+ years of experience, Greta McLain uses art to unite communities and amplify voices. She’s worked across the US and globally, partnering with communities and artists to create impactful mural projects. Greta believes in art as a tool for organizing and education. She holds a BA from UC Davis and an MFA from Minneapolis College of Art and Design.
Britt Ruhe:
Britt Ruhe is an experienced mural project manager and creative placemaker dedicated to transforming communities through public art. As the Executive Director of Common Wealth Murals, she has led the development of over 90 murals and raised over $1.7M for public art projects. With over 20 years of experience in nonprofit leadership, strategic planning, and mentorship, Britt’s expertise includes artist selection, public engagement strategies, coordinating with local governments and host organizations, start-to-finish management of project logistics, publicity, and grant writing. A passionate advocate for artists and creative placemaking, she leverages public art to foster community pride, empower under-resourced neighborhoods, and drive social and economic impact.
New England Artists: Apply to Get Your Course Fees Covered!
Thanks to the Public Art Learning Fund from the New England Foundation for the Arts (NEFA), New England-based artists can apply for grants ranging from $500 to $3,000 to cover professional development opportunities—including these courses!
NEFA Public Art Learning Fund:
Applications are open to New England-based artists working in public art.
Funding covers training, workshops, mentorship, and skill-building programs.
Applications due: April 14th, 2025
Visit https://www.nefa.org/PublicArtLearningFund to apply!