By Molly Snyder Senior Writer Published Feb 15, 2016 at 12:27 PM

Black Cat Alley, a project that will pay artists to create murals in an East Side alley, is currently seeking applicants.

Approximately 20 artists or artist groups will receive a $1,000 honorarium to create a large-scale, outdoor mural. A jury will choose a selection of participants, including local artists, traveling artists, college students and high school students.

"The alley will feature not just Milwaukee artists and students, but national and international muralists as well," says program director Stacey Williams-Ng.

The East Side Business Improvement District and Tim Decker, animation professor at UWM and MATC, are also involved in the project.

Applications are due by Sunday, April 3 and can be submitted here.

Selected artists / groups will create a mural in a two-block alley between the Oriental Theatre on Farwell Avenue and Colectivo Coffee on Prospect Avenue. The intention is for the outdoor gallery to brighten the dark, uninhabited space and to attract people to the area.

A seven-day installation is planned for Sept. 11-17.

The project is also seeking financial donors from local businesses, food donations and volunteers. Promotional opportunities are available for all business participants.

For more information, go to the website or call Williams-Ng at (414) 477-7282. There will be a live, online Q&A session on Twitter at 1 p.m., March 1, 2016 (Central Standard Time) under the hashtag #BlackCatMKE2016.

Instructions and updates will be available on Twitter account @BlackCatMKE and the Facebook page.


Molly Snyder started writing and publishing her work at the age 10, when her community newspaper printed her poem, "The Unicorn.” Since then, she's expanded beyond the subject of mythical creatures and written in many different mediums but, nearest and dearest to her heart, thousands of articles for OnMilwaukee.

Molly is a regular contributor to FOX6 News and numerous radio stations as well as the co-host of "Dandelions: A Podcast For Women.” She's received five Milwaukee Press Club Awards, served as the Pfister Narrator and is the Wisconsin State Fair’s Celebrity Cream Puff Eating Champion of 2019.