Press release:

The City of Burien Arts Commission is thrilled to announce Augustina Droze as the 2012 Burien mural artist! 35 artists applied for this project and a panel of local business owners and community members picked Augustina, excited by her dynamic and innovative style and ideas.

Augustina hails from the west coast and recently moved to New York State. She has created murals across the country and internationally, including Palm Beach, Chicago, Indianapolis, Baltimore, and Buffalo. She recently worked with underprivileged artists in Nagpur, India to create the largest mural in the city.

Augustina states “I am a two dimensional artist who focuses primarily on mural painting. I find that the scale of a mural allows for increased expression and evokes a transitory response in viewers. Murals have the ability to relocate an onlooker and change one's perspective. I also feel that the accessibility of mural arts creates a large and robust viewing population which is often more diverse than that which frequents museums or galleries. Viewers are forced to face the art, make personal aesthetic and emotional judgments and move on.”

Augustina is influences by the passionate murals of the Mexican mural movement (most notably Diego Riviera) and the realistic narrative murals of contemporary muralists including Jeff Zimmerman and John Pugh. These artists have helped to shape Augustina's style and scale.

The mural will be created on the wall on 4th Avenue SW at 151st, across from the Library/City Hall on the building housing the Dollar Tree. We would like to thank the Dollar Tree for their participation in this project.

Augustina will be collaborating with the community on the project and will be working on the final art in July and August. Please watch for more information on community involvement!

Augustina’s website: www.admuralstudio.com