By Bobby Tanzilo Senior Editor/Writer Published Feb 11, 2020 at 10:10 AM

As part of its ongoing mural arts program, the City of Wauwatosa seeks submissions from artists for a mural to be painted on a shipping container located in Hart Park along State Street.

The shipping container will be used for storage by the Tosa Tonight summer concert series in the park.

"Public art enhances a city, attracting residents and tourists to experience Wauwatosa in a different way," said Melissa Weiss, director of administrative services for the City of Wauwatosa.

"We are thrilled to be bringing murals and hopefully world-class muralists to the gem of our park system, Hart Park, this year."

There will be three side of the container available for murals and artists may pitch ideas for one, two or all three sides.

Artists can submit up to three proposals by April 1 and the call is open to artists from local and national artists. Travel stipends are available for artists outside the Milwaukee area.

Artists who are selected will be notified by April 17 and a portion of the proposed mural must be painted by July 22.

Complete details are here.

The Wauwatosa Tourism Commission is sponsoring the mural installation, which is funded by hotel tax revenue.

Last month, Wauwatosa announced a bracket-style painting tournament, and last summer, six murals were painted in East Tosa.

Bobby Tanzilo Senior Editor/Writer

Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.

He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press.

With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.

He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.

In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.

He has be heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.