A jury from the cultural community of Niagara Falls has decided upon the proposed work, “The Birth of The Artist“ by Dillon Douglas as the selection for the City of Niagara Falls Main Street Digital Art Mural.

The winning proposal was selected from 30 submissions. The selection was based on the response to the competition’s goal and themes, appropriateness and artistic excellence. It will be 32m wide x 3.4m high and installed on the exterior of the upcoming Exchange Market Hall building. Public art helps strengthen the city’s visual identity, stimulates the economy, and enhances tourism and community pride.

“We wanted to create something supremely vibrant, modern and complex. We didn't want to create just a mural. We wanted to create a manifesto—one of inclusivity, artistic dynamism and freedom. Things that the Niagara Falls Exchange will embody. The mural is about metamorphosis: the artist changes, mutates, evolves--putting themselves on the line, leaping off a ramp into the sky, like the daredevil. It's a story about struggle, possibility and evolution. Near the end of the mural, we also wanted to include a music machine and a tractor to acknowledge the multi-functional nature of the Exchange as a cultural hub and farmer's market--that it's truly a place of community and inclusivity. The two hands that frame the piece hold us together, hold the mural together, hold the community together. We are all part of this story, regardless of our particular identity.” Dillon Douglas

The work will be installed at the Exchange after completion of the construction on the property. Currently, the Exchange is on target for Opening early in 2023

Dillon Douglas is a self-taught visual artist from Canada working in a variety of different mediums (oil, acrylic, pastel, spray paint and digital). He has a BA in English Literature and a MA in Theory and Criticism. In 2022, he was the recipient of the Allister Young Arts & Culture Endowment Fund. He is an iridescent member of the Niagara art community and seeks to make the area a cultural force to be reckoned with.