September 16, 2026

Ellensburg group raises $40K for mural project

Photo courtesy EDA [enlarge]

The Blank Canvas Party fundraiser in August employed a long-table format to bring the community together.

The Ellensburg Downtown Association's (EDA) Mural Society held its second annual Blank Canvas Party on Aug. 8 and raised $40,000 to support its work creating new murals, and revitalizing existing artwork in the city.

The EDA is a nonprofit organization committed to strengthening the economic vitality, historic character, and sense of place in downtown Ellensburg. The Mural Society is a volunteer-led group.

The fundraiser ran live and silent auctions with items donated by community members and local businesses. It was held in an alley behind Gallery One Visual Arts Center in downtown and set up as a long-table dinner. Attendees experienced live music and painting, cabaret entertainment, auctions and storytelling.

Photo via EDA website [enlarge]

Artist Justin Gibbens posing with his and Will Bow’s mural in Ellensburg’s Phoenix Alley, funded by an EDA Mural Society 2025 fundraiser.

Photo courtesy EDA [enlarge]

The EDA Mural Society funds new mural creations and restores historic murals like the one pictured.

This year's fundraiser doubled last year's total, which funded the painting of five murals in the city's Phoenix Alley. Those were painted in July during an inaugural mural painting festival. The murals are by Justin Gibbens and Will Bow of PUNCH Projects, as well as Kyle Krauskopf, Josephine Rice, Desmond Hansen, and Jason Clifton.

The Mural Society says it funds work highlighting Ellensburg's history and creativity. The mural program also adds color and character to historic buildings and reduces graffiti on downtown properties.

At the 2026 fundraiser, keynote speaker Emily Jacobs observed, “What struck me most was how quickly people moved beyond discussing the murals themselves. They shared ideas of community, pride, creativity, belonging — and what they hope Ellensburg might become next. Phoenix Alley shows us that public art can do more than transform a wall; it can help people see their community, and their place within it, in a new way.”

The mural program credits strong partnerships in the community for its success, naming Kelle Vandenberg, Chase Pederson, Heidi Behrends-Cerniway and the Landmarks and Design Committee at the city of Ellensburg.