Artist Biography

Steve Mik is an Erie Artist who has been painting murals for the last 20 years. He has a passion for working with community and inspiring people through the use of public Art. He believes that public art has the ability to take artwork outside of institutions and galleries and put it directly in-front of the people. It also has the ability to rapidly transform and beautify the landscape of a city as we see with the purposeful placemaking initiative.  Steve believes that public art is an essential part of building stronger communities. From 2009 – 2011 Steve served as a member of Keystone SMILES Americorps where he worked organizing community service projects and working with many underserved populations. Many of the projects he organized were murals and gave him his first taste of engaging his community. This experience taught him that when the community has a hands on experience with the creation of a mural or piece of art it creates a greater sense of pride and ownership. It is this pride that makes people feel connected to the spaces they inhabit, it is this connection that we seek to build with all of the stakeholders we work with.