DKAC Awards June/July Downtown Beautification Award

The Coronavirus pandemic put a bit of stall on the Downtown Kissimmee Area Council’s Downtown Beautification Awards, but this week they awarded Osceola Arts, the City of Kissimmee, and Experience Kissimmee for the three new murals that have been added Downtown.  Marilyn Cortes-Lovato, Visual Arts Director at Osceola Arts, received the letter of recognition Monday morning, and the a-frame sign will be displayed at Osceola Arts through June and July.

The murals are part of the “The Time for Art is Now” project, which saw four murals crop up around Downtown Kissimmee last year.  The hope is to expand the project into other parts of Osceola County next year.  According to Cortes-Lovato,  “‘The Time for Art is Now’ murals program is about bringing the community together through the arts and inspiring conversation and positive dialog.”  All of the murals were designed and painted by local artists.

If you haven’t been to Downtown Kissimmee to see the new murals yet, be sure to check them out.  Start at Broadway Pizza, where The Florida Panther now decorates the side of the restaurant.

The Snowy Egret can be found above Lanier’s Antiques on Broadway.

The Koi Fish can be found on the side of Uniform Cottage facing the Toho Square Parking Garage.

The Bengal Tiger, the site of the Beautification Award presentation, appears at the corner of Darlington and Broadway.

The Downtown Beautification Award is warded to businesses and entities that work to make physical improvements to Downtown Kissimmee. These murals are a perfect example of that, and just what the community needs right now. As Cortes-Lovato put it, “Come down…it’s free! Look around, buy local, dine out, and a enjoy a wonderful stroll through these eight murals!”