Sioux Falls Artist to Paint Mural on Side of East Tenth Street Parking Ramp

Sioux Falls, South Dakota: A well-known artist in Sioux Falls—Walter Portz—will paint a mural on the side of the parking ramp along East Tenth Street in downtown Sioux Falls. Portz approached the City with ideas of murals for the side of the parking ramp and eventually brought the final image to the Visual Arts Commission on Tuesday, August 15. The five commissioners unanimously recommended it as an appropriate piece of art for the public asset.

“I’m grateful for this opportunity to play with such a large canvas and appreciate the Visual Arts Commission’s unanimous recommendation on the final artwork. While working through many different concepts and aesthetics, I wanted something that would get the community’s attention while adding a fun topic of conversation to downtown Sioux Falls,” said Portz. “The final image is dynamic and lively with several nods to what makes Sioux Falls unique.”

Portz has done several art pieces throughout Sioux Falls, including one of his most recent murals near the Levitt at the Falls in downtown Sioux Falls. The space on the side of the parking ramp is nearly 14,000 square feet.

“Thank you to the Visual Arts Commission for their recommendation and support of Walter’s mural design. His track record and passion for building community through art is incredible, and we are honored to partner with him on this city asset,” said Mayor Paul TenHaken. “We appreciate Matt Paulson with MarketBeat stepping up to sponsor this project financially to see it become reality.”

“At MarketBeat, we support investments in local art and downtown to add to its vibrancy, and this mural is a clear fit with our community priorities. I look forward to watching Walter’s vision come to life in downtown and hope the Sioux Falls community enjoys the artwork,” said Paulson.

The City will prime the wall with paint before Portz can begin the mural, which is expected to happen before the end of August, with Portz beginning shortly after.