Walls across Chicago tell stories, and Graffiti Arts helps you tell yours. We design murals that reflect the city’s edge and energy, from Lincoln Park offices to West Loop storefronts. Our work includes permanent installations for corporate office murals, outdoor murals that hold up through every season, and custom pieces for restaurants, retail spaces, and private homes.

We also bring live mural art to events when you need something guests can watch unfold. Conferences, brand activations, and pop-ups across the city gain an extra layer of engagement when attendees see artwork develop in real time. The finished piece becomes part of the experience, not just background.

Live Event Painting and On-Site Activations

When your event needs more than static visuals, on-site painting gives guests something to engage with as it happens. We set up at product launches, retail openings, and corporate gatherings, creating custom walls or canvases while the crowd watches. The mural becomes a focal point that guests photograph, discuss, and remember.

For brands that want personalization, live art customization lets attendees receive custom hats, bags, or canvases painted right at the event. When family-friendly or community-focused formats work better, an interactive coloring mural creates participation without requiring artistic skill or turning the space into a work zone.

Chicago graffiti fits naturally into River North galleries, Pilsen street festivals, and downtown convention centers. We coordinate with venue teams on access windows, protective setup, and materials so the painting lands without disrupting your event flow. Indoor venues often come with strict rules around paint use. We adapt the medium to the room, using low-odor materials and cleaner application tools when needed, while still delivering the look clients expect.

Murals for Offices, Storefronts, and Everyday Spaces

Not every project is tied to an event. Many clients need finished murals that support culture, branding, or visibility over time. We create weather-resistant exterior pieces for public-facing buildings, custom interior walls for residential and commercial murals, and branded environments for hospitality and retail.

For branded interiors and wayfinding, we also paint business logos and signage that match your standards and read cleanly in real spaces. When portability matters, canvas murals let you install artwork temporarily or move it between locations without committing to a permanent wall.

The city’s winters demand durable materials. Every outdoor installation receives protective coatings built to withstand temperature swings, moisture, and UV exposure. We’ve painted brick exteriors, polished indoor walls, stairwells, and even hangar doors at O’Hare, adapting our approach to match the surface and setting.

Chicago Project Examples

Over the years, we’ve completed a range of projects shaped by their surroundings, audience, and purpose. That includes an abstract office mural in Chicago for Travelliance, a travel company just outside the city, where we used bold colors and subtle lettering to transform their workspace into a dynamic environment.

For retail, we painted live sneaker art at Mr. Alan’s Chicago activation based on classic Jordans. The event drew a crowd, and even Twista showed up. We also completed a Shake Shack Chicago mural featuring local landmarks and cultural nods in a playful doodle style that wraps around the restaurant’s exterior corner.

Additional work includes the Kargo phone case wall in Chicago, where 150 phone cases became one massive mural for guests to take home, and the Shea Moisture Chicago event, an 8×8-foot live mural full of dewy ferns and skyline shapes. We’ve also handled an Illinois residential mural in Naperville and large-scale flag murals for O’Hare Airport hangars.

Together, these projects show how mural painting in Chicago functions across different settings and timelines. You can see more examples in our portfolio.

Major Events Coming to Chicago

Event planners across the city face packed schedules, limited load-in windows, and venues that operate continuously. We work inside that reality, coordinating with building teams on access rules and timing so murals arrive without disrupting operations.

Chicago hosts several major events in 2026 that will draw international attention. Lollapalooza returns to Grant Park each summer (typically late July through early August), bringing over 400,000 attendees across four days. The Chicago Air and Water Show along the lakefront (usually mid-August) attracts millions of spectators. These high-traffic moments create opportunities for brands to build fan zones, sponsor activations, and hospitality spaces that need visual impact beyond traditional signage.

Live event art works particularly well in these formats. Pop-up installations in River North, branded lounges near McCormick Place during convention windows, and retail activations along Michigan Avenue all benefit when guests can watch artwork develop in real time. The mural becomes part of the experience, and something attendees photograph, share and remember.

Office installations, storefront commissions, and permanent pieces follow similar planning and coordination, just without the compressed event-day timelines.

How the Process Works

1. Submit Your Details

You share wall size, interior or exterior location, access notes, timing, and style references. This gives us the framework to match the right artist to the space.

2. Creative Process

We discuss the project, shape the concept, and present visual mockups. Revisions happen here, before any paint hits the wall.

3. Art Time

On the scheduled date, our crew arrives prepared, protects the area, paints the mural, and leaves the space clean. For live events, the painting window is planned so guests can watch the piece come to life.

Why Teams Choose Us

Graffiti Arts works best when projects need structure, speed, and artists who know how to perform in real environments.

• Owned and operated by artists, with Valentino Mikalef leading creative direction.
• Project managers stay hands-on from first call to final reveal.
• Access to a nationwide collective of vetted graffiti and street artists.
• Proven ability to turn around complex projects on tight timelines.
• Clear communication that keeps brand, venue, and facilities teams aligned.

Full Range of Our Services

Beyond the core mural and live event formats, we offer specialized services that extend your brand’s reach and creative vision:

Event-Specific Formats:

• Graffiti workshops that teach lettering fundamentals and spray techniques in hands-on team sessions
• Giveaway walls where branded products become part of the artwork, then go home with guests
• Digital murals and screen-based installations that translate street art aesthetics into digital environments

Campaign and Media Work:

• Hand-painted outdoor advertising for large-format campaigns that function as physical media
• Film and TV production support for scenic backdrops, set design, and broadcast-ready artwork

Recent Examples: We’ve run a Chicago graffiti workshop for corporate teams looking to build creative collaboration skills, and completed an American flag mural showcasing our work with large-scale patriotic designs.

For deeper insight into what we offer, explore our main service pages. You can watch our videos to see projects unfold, read client testimonials for direct feedback, or check out media coverage to see where we’ve been featured.

Let’s Talk About Your Project

Planning a mural or live event activation starts with a conversation. Contact us at 646-801-6024 to request a quote. You can also reach us at art@muralartist.co.

Share details about your wall size, location (interior or exterior), access constraints, timeline, style preferences, event format, and goals. We’ll help shape the concept and handle the logistics so the artwork fits your space and schedule.

FAQs

What goes into the cost of a mural project?

Pricing reflects wall size, surface condition, design complexity, and prep requirements. For live events, we also factor in painting duration, number of artists, and event-day coordination. Most live activations start around $10,000 and scale based on scope. Once we review your project details, we provide a detailed estimate. More answers are available in our FAQs.

Can you handle last-minute requests?

If we have capacity, yes. We’ve delivered murals for retail launches, brand pop-ups, and seasonal campaigns on short notice when scope and access allow it.

Do you paint indoors during winter?

Yes. Indoor projects aren’t weather-dependent. We take on office and residential work year-round, especially during colder months when outdoor installs slow down.

How does live painting work during an active event?

We plan the painting window around your event schedule and crowd flow. Protective barriers and low-odor materials keep the space clean and guest-friendly when painting indoors.

What coordination do you need from the venue?

We work with venue operations teams to confirm access windows, load-in procedures, power needs, and any material restrictions. Protective flooring and barriers come standard.

Can you work with our brand guidelines?

Yes. We use your brand assets, color codes, and style references to ensure visual alignment. You approve mockups before production begins.

What surfaces can you paint on?

We’ve worked on brick, polished interior walls, stairwells, elevator banks, and airport hangars. If it can be primed, we can paint it.

Can you create custom giveaways using mural designs?

Yes. We’ve produced phone cases, canvas bags, apparel, and live-painted pieces that guests take home as keepsakes.