The projects — at 244 E Main Street & 233 SE Washington Street — are being funded as part of the expanded mural program launched by the City of Hillsboro's Public Art Program earlier this year. Changes to the program included creating an annual funding opportunity, simplifying mural requirements, and streamlining the application process. 

For the first annual funding opportunity this year, 11 project ideas were submitted during the application period which closed in April, representing more than $110,000 in funding requested. 

A committee of community members reviewed applications and selected projects for funding in the inaugural round, awarding just over $30,000 to two murals. The Hillsboro Arts & Culture Council (HACC) approved the mural designs in July 2025.

244 E Main Street

A small panel tucked among local businesses will soon reflect the active downtown landscape, portraying people walking and enjoying time with their dogs, a scene common during markets, warm evenings, and weekends in Downtown Hillsboro.

Krystal Michaels-Monroe, the owner of Puppernickel dog bakery which occupies a nearby storefront, selected local artist Dylan Mead from the Hillsboro Mural Artist Roster and applied for funding with permission from the building owner.

Mead, an illustrator and designer, has also painted a sidewalk mural at Hidden Creek Park West.

233 SE Washington Street

Emerging local muralist McKenzie Scott has been selected to complete a large-scale work that will portray Hillsboro community members, in silhouette, enjoying everyday activities.

Her proposal was matched with one from Hillsboro Downtown Partnership (HDP), which requested new artwork for the large east-facing wall on its headquarters shared with the Hillsboro Farmers Market and Tuesday Night Market organizations. The building is dubbed “The Downtown Hive.”

Scott plans to invite community members to have their silhouette featured in the mural, posting an open call to participate in the painting process in partnership with HDP.

Mural Costs & Funding

The funding made available for the murals was determined by a regional-standard fee of approximately $25 per square foot plus business expenses, materials, and labor. The area at 244 E Main Street is 18 square feet and had a budget of $1,000. The area at 233 SE Washington Street is 1,152 square feet, and had a budget of $29,000. Each artist was also given a $500 stipend to work up design concepts to share with HACC and the community.

Funding for these projects will come from Hillsboro's Public Art Fund. The City of Hillsboro contributes $125,000 annually from the General Fund to the Public Art Fund which helps support a broad range of projects, including murals, installations, portable works, and collection maintenance. This is a unique fund where a balance can be carried forward from year to year, which allows for the development of larger-scale projects like Cloud Nest in planning for Shute Park.

The Public Art Program plans to allocate approximately $40,000 for murals in 2026.

2026 Applications Open Now

Artists, community members, business owners, and building owners are encouraged to apply now for the 2026 round of funding which will be awarded next spring. The deadline to apply is Sunday, January 11, 2026 at 11:59 pm.

Learn more about how to submit an application and the mural program requirements.

Mural & Artist Resources

In addition to project applications, since the announcement of the mural program expansion, 11 new mural artists were added to the Mural Artist Roster, and one wall was submitted for the Mural Wall Roster. These rosters are open for application year-round, and community members can submit ideas or suggestions for murals at any time. 

Learn more about how to apply for find a mural artist on the Mural Program webpage.

The City of Hillsboro is continually looking for artists, musicians, and other creative professionals to help shape the image and culture of the city through public art.

Find more opportunities for creatives on the Artist Opportunities webpage.

History of Murals in Hillsboro

The City of Hillsboro created a mural program in 2014. Some of the first murals were private projects, bringing colorful, larger-than-life artworks to restaurants and shops, community spaces, streetscapes, and common areas.

In 2022, the first murals funded by the City of Hillsboro were celebrated in the Calle Diez/10^th Avenue neighborhood, ushering in a new era of publicly funded murals donning walls across Hillsboro’s Cultural Arts District and beyond. 

Then, in 2025, the City of Hillsboro Public Art Program updated the mural program, removing barriers to creating murals in Hillsboro, and establishing an annual public funding opportunity to support more works across the city with a focus in the Cultural Arts District. 

See a gallery of current murals in Hillsboro.