City of Brantford seeks community input on Phil Hartman Mural

BRANTFORD, ON – The City of Brantford will be commissioning a muralist, or mural artist collective, to create a mural on the east wall of the Sanderson Centre for the Performing Arts building, located at 88 Dalhousie Street. The mural will honour the late Phil Hartman, a well-known and tremendously gifted screen and voice actor, comedian, screenwriter and graphic designer from Brantford. The mural will honour and celebrate the life and work of Phil Hartman through a multitude of different iconography and stories, from his childhood in Brantford through his years in Hollywood, and beyond.

To help inform this unique project that is scheduled to be completed in fall of 2024, the City of Brantford is asking the community to share what Phil Hartman means to Brantford and the images, icons, words and/or phrases that best represent his life and work. The themes and feedback collected will be shared with the commissioned artist(s) as well as a community focus group and will help to shape the finished mural that will be located on the east wall of the Sanderson Centre for the Performing Arts building.

Earlier this month, the City launched an open, two-stage Call for Artists, which is being facilitated by Mural Routes, a member-based not-for-profit arts service organization dedicated to the creation, development and promotion of public wall art. The Call for Artists closed on Monday, July 29, 2024 at 4:30 p.m. and the jury is currently reviewing the applications received during Stage One. Up to three artists will be shortlisted to create detailed proposals that include proposed designs. The intent is for the artist(s) to incorporate the feedback gathered through this phase of community engagement into their proposed designs for Stage Two. The artist(s) selected by the jury as the competition winner and approved by the City will enter into a contract to create the final mural. 

Those who wish to share their thoughts on Phil Hartman and what he means to Brantford can visit letstalkbrantford.ca/PhilHartmanMural. The deadline to participate is Friday, August 16, 2024 at 4:30 p.m. To learn more about the project, visit Brantford.ca/PhilHartmanMural.

About Phil Hartman

Phil Hartman was born in Brantford in 1948 and spent his formative years here before moving to the United States. He went on to co-produce and work on the Pee-wee Herman Show and star on Saturday Night Live for eight seasons, which earned him an Emmy win during his time on the show. Hartman was also the voice behind Lionel Hutz and Troy McClure on The Simpsons, and starred on the NBC sitcom NewsRadio, along with many other memorable supporting acting roles. A victim of domestic violence, Hartman was tragically killed by his wife in 1998. His death was mourned as great loss and his legacy continues to inspire and entertain fans worldwide.

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Media Contact:

Chelsey Tobin | Tourism Marketing Specialist, Economic Development, Tourism & Cultural Initiatives |
City of Brantford | 519-759-4150 ext. 5048 | ctobin@brantford.ca