Famous Walldogs Mural Group Returns to WA’s Mount Barker for Street Art Festival

The return of world-renowned mural and sign art group The Walldogs for a festival in a small Western Australian town is a masterstroke for Australian street art.

The North American group held a Mountains and Murals festival in 2019 in Mount Barker, near the state’s south coast.

The festival attracted thousands of people who came to see the city’s history on buildings.

Former Mount Barker Police Sergeant Dave Johnson, now with the Shire of Plantagenet, has another festival scheduled for November with 18 Walldogs performers from around the world to attend.

Mr Johnson, who is also an artist, expects the festival to draw around 6,000 people in five days.

Creative people a tourist attraction

Loading

Mr. Johnson said Walldogs, which were founded 30 years ago in Iowa in the US, are highly sought after artists, with more than 200 US cities requesting visits from the creatives each year.

The 2019 murals have drawn tourists to the small regional center and proudly line the streets.

Artists from the US, Canada and Great Britain have been booked.

Mr Johnson said last time the artists were warmly welcomed by the community and locations for new murals were identified.

“We are going to build a huge freestanding structure wall at the entrance to the city, which will be the centerpiece,” he said.

“We’re going to paint one at school with the school kids.”