ARTIST CRAIG MCINNIS SELECTED FOR NEW MURAL AT THE CULTURAL COUNCIL FOR PALM BEACH COUNTY

McInnis has begun painting his large-scale mural “Interconnected” on the southern exterior wall of the Cultural Council’s headquarters in downtown Lake Worth Beach.

The Cultural Council for Palm Beach County has announced that West Palm Beach-based professional artist Craig McInnis has been selected to create a large-scale public art project at its headquarters in downtown Lake Worth Beach.

This week, McInnis began painting a new mural on the south-facing exterior wall of the Cultural Council’s Robert M. Montgomery, Jr. building on Lake Avenue, with the mural expected to be complete by the end of August.

McInnis’s mural concept “Interconnected” is, according to the artist’s final submission, “designed to represent the interconnectivity of all people and all things. People from all different walks of life are gathered together in a circle that represents a utopian scenario of peace, love and health. The table in the middle speaks to earthly elements – growth, grace, mortality and power – some of the things that connect us all. The figures are enveloped in abstract flower petals, a representation of the protection that connection provides human beings.” 

"As Palm Beach County's designated local arts service agency, our mission is to support and serve creative professionals and cultural organizations in The Palm Beaches,” said Dave Lawrence, the Cultural Council’s president and CEO. “We are proud to support the work of Palm Beach County professional artists and Craig’s work will be a wonderful new addition to the public art in Lake Worth Beach. We’d like to encourage everyone to stop by the Cultural Council over the next few weeks and watch as Craig creates this exciting public art project on our building’s southern exterior wall.”

The historic Art Deco building — whose south wall previously showcased Brazilian artist Eduardo Kobra’s iconic “I Have a Dream” mural — underwent major repairs in July to fix cracks and other damage to its facade. Standing at 54 feet wide and nearly 40 feet tall, the prior mural (painted as part of the CANVAS mural festival in 2017) had reached the end of its lifespan, as the artist’s original design sustained significant damage from the sun and graffiti.

In April, the Council hosted a commemoration and community celebration to honor the Kobra mural. Prior to that, the Council hosted a series of community conversations about the building’s condition and the mural, as well as providing information about the process for commissioning a new mural.

Following a months-long selection process, McInnis’ concept was selected from a group of three finalists for the project by a panel of visual artm professionals. The public participated by providing input and feedback on all the finalists’ designs.