Art Alley Project Expands with Visitor Committee Funding

Jun. 26, 2025 –A public art initiative—the Mandan Art Alley—is coming to downtown Mandan. Set to take shape yet this summer, the project will be in the alley behind the 200 block of West Main Street, between First and Second Avenue NW.

First proposed in the 2018 Downtown Plan, the idea resurfaced in 2024 by a group of engaged local business owners, event planners and arts advocates.

Funding for the project includes:

• Northern Plains Heritage Foundation $35,000
• Fort Abraham Lincoln Foundation $5,000
• North Dakota Council on the Arts $2,000
• Bismarck Professional Women Public Art Fund via Dakota West Arts Council: $2,500

The City Commission recently approved providing up to $35,000 in additional funding through the Mandan Visitors Fund to support the effort. The Mandan Visitors Fund is generated from the 1% restaurant and lodging tax and must be used for capital improvements that attract visitors to the community.

Phase one was originally planned to include five to seven large-scale murals, one of which will be a piece created with community input. With additional funding from the Visitors Fund, 15 murals will be installed in the initial phase of the project. Mural themes will entail Indigenous heritage, immigration journeys, ties to land and water, shared histories, and ideas focused on youth and innovation. All mural sites have been secured with signed property owner permission.

A call for artists this spring resulted in 14 talented artists being activated for the art alley project. Five of the artists are Mandan residents or have studio space in Mandan!

Stay tuned to cityofmandan.com for updates.