Graffiti News

ASL shapes the encounter between artists and visitors

KissFist Mural Fest puts American Sign Language at the center of three days of public painting in Boulder, Colorado, on September 18–20, 2026. According to the Boulder Daily Camera's September 17 report, nine professional muralists from the Deaf community and two student teams will work outdoors at 4895 Broadway in the NoBo Art District. Painting runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day on panels measuring four by eight feet.

American Sign Language, or ASL, will be the primary language. ASL-English interpreters will be available during programming, and visitors who do not sign can request an interpreter to accompany them around the grounds and help with conversations. The festival's name comes from a sign expressing strong appreciation: kissing the back of a fist.

For people who follow murals, the setup makes the exchange around a work part of the visit. Watching a painting develop and asking its maker about an image are different encounters; language access helps connect them.

A missing interpreter prompted a different festival structure

Founder Kate Fitzpatrick built KissFist around access after attending another mural festival's awards ceremony without an ASL interpreter. Fitzpatrick, a Colorado muralist and hearing child of Deaf adults, told the newspaper that her partner had to interpret for her Deaf relatives. A family outing became an unplanned work assignment.

Fitzpatrick described a recurring problem: artists who need access are also expected to explain how organizations should arrange it. KissFist places that responsibility within event planning. The volunteer-run project operates under the fiscal sponsorship of arts nonprofit Fractured Atlas, with a budget below $20,000. Support includes a $6,000 Boulder Vision award and a $3,500 Artist Hiring Grant from the City of Boulder.

The inaugural edition took place at Denver's RiNo ArtPark in 2025. After higher rental charges made a return impractical, Street Wise Arts founder Leah Brenner Clack connected Fitzpatrick with NoBo Art District executive director Liz Compos. Compos offered an affordable venue and planning help. The move shows how the practical conditions of a mural gathering include both space to paint and the support to communicate.

“Many Worlds” connects signed language, astronomy and inner life

The 2026 theme, “Many Worlds,” invites artists to imagine alternative realities through distinct visual approaches. Maryland-based Deaf multiracial artist Daniel Katz-Hernandez is linking ASL with planetary systems. Layered images of signed words suggest the experience of looking into a night sky.

Katz-Hernandez also described a practical difficulty of public painting: while facing a panel, he cannot know that someone behind him is speaking. For single-day events, he generally hires interpreters to support exchanges with hearing passersby. At KissFist, the festival will provide that infrastructure. His account gives visitors a concrete reason to consider how a conversation reaches an artist absorbed in work.

Kalamazoo, Michigan-based artist Alex Menzor takes the theme toward private inner landscapes. The vertical panel “World Enough and Time,” named after a Doctor Who episode, features Menzor's partner, Mel, holding an hourglass. After profound hearing loss in adulthood, Menzor began moving from still life toward meditative, kaleidoscopic painting. Menzor is learning ASL and told the newspaper that an environment welcoming different levels of signing fluency was part of the festival's appeal.

Teams from the Colorado School for the Deaf and the Blind and Rocky Mountain Deaf School will make two additional panels. Seeing students and professionals at work offers a way to follow decisions as they become visible on a painted surface.

Visitor activities extend beyond the painting panels

The main grounds combine live painting with a makers market and opportunities to participate. Deaf artisans will sell work from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on September 19 and 20. Visitors can also see Boulder street artist SMiLE's exhibition “SMiLE: The Other Side” at the Bus Stop Gallery, at the same 4895 Broadway address. A community mural will have paint available for public contributions, and a children's play area is planned.

A separate “Beginner Spray Painting Workshop with Skela” takes place from 10 a.m. to noon on September 19 at the NoBo Art Center, 4929 Broadway, Unit E. Presented with Street Wise Arts, the ticketed $65 class includes safety instruction, mark-making and ASL interpreters. Visitors planning both activities should distinguish the workshop address from the main festival grounds.

The festival's painting surfaces are ground-level wooden panels. Fitzpatrick's ambition to commission large walls using lifts and scaffolding remains a future goal tied to funding. For this edition, the close view of panel painting is the central encounter.

Explore nearby murals on Wallscape's map.

Source: Boulder Daily Camera