The Sunny Dayz Mural Festival is returning to transform the town of Claremore with 27 large-scale murals created by 38 selected artists across its Lilac District on May 30th.
Founded in 2021 by Oklahoma City artist Virginia Sitzes, the nonprofit festival brings together mural artists in a different Oklahoman city each year for a celebration built around the philosophy that public art belongs to everyone.
“Sunny Dayz murals live in everyday spaces, on buildings people pass on their way to work, school or dinner,” Sunny Dayz Executive Director Kristen Milburn told Free Press. “You do not need to buy a ticket or intentionally seek out art to encounter it. It meets you where you already are. Accessibility also means cultural reflection. Each year, we prioritize hiring artists and shaping programming that is responsive to that year’s host community so people can see themselves and their histories represented in the work.”
Claremore chosen for community, culture
In past years, those host communities have included, OKC, Tulsa, and Ponca City, but for 2026, the relatively smaller community of Claremore was chosen.
“Claremore sits on land that has been home to Indigenous peoples for centuries, most notably the Cherokee Nation and the Osage Nation,” Milburn said. “One concept that has resonated strongly with us is the Cherokee value of ‘gadugi,’ which speaks to [communities] coming together in a shared effort for the good of all. That philosophy aligns beautifully with how Sunny Dayz operates. Our festival only happens because artists, volunteers, property owners, city leaders, and local businesses all show up together.”
For Sunny Dayz, trust with property owners is cultivated with intention.
“Each year, we are asking property owners to entrust their buildings to artists whose creative vision they do not control,” said festival director Paige Powell. “That requires deep relationship-building and clear communication. In more than 150 murals created since 2021, we have never had a mural painted over, and that track record has come from careful planning and trust.”
A festival of art & equity
Since 2021, Sunny Dayz has grown into a national community of more than 200 artists and over 100 volunteers, supporting participating artists through compensation, professional connections, and creative networking. For many artists, festival involvement has led to career momentum through greater visibility, collaborative projects, and job opportunities.
Central to Sunny Dayz’s mission is greater equitable access, including prioritizing art opportunities for women and gender minorities.
The festival also fosters community connections through its mentorship program for teens. With 55 teens mentored so far, these emerging artists are partnered with professional Sunny Dayz muralists to learn key strategies for creating large-scale public artworks.
“When artists feel safe, supported, and valued, they create their strongest work,” Milburn said. “That care translates directly into murals that are thoughtful, high-quality, and resonant. Ultimately, we view public art as cultural infrastructure. It shapes identity, sparks conversation, and influences how people experience a neighborhood. Over time, that visibility can help shift narratives and encourage communities to continue investing in themselves.”
A strong showing from OKC artists
While Sunny Dayz supports artists across Oklahoma and outside the state, the 2026 festival features a number of artists from Oklahoma City.
For Sunny Dayz founder and OKC-based artist Virginia Sitzes, this year’s festival marks a meaningful return to the project she helped build from the ground up.
Her studio practice spans aspects of painting and printmaking, and she extends these techniques onto shaped and layered panels that occupy a space between low-relief sculpture and two-dimensional art. From intimate works to large murals, her palette is consistently vibrant, prioritizing a spectrum of saturated hues. Her imagery ranges from abstracted shapes reminiscent of hand-torn collage, to bold graphic renderings of everyday objects like couches and pillows, to representational figures and animals.
Sitzes’ practice also extends into curatorial work, serving as co-curator for Oklahoma Contemporary’s ArtNow 2025: Materials and Boundaries.
No matter the direction her Sunny Dayz mural takes, her work invites attention at every distance –– from the smallest details viewed up close, to compositions that pulse with energy from across the street.
Rachele Cromer’s career is on the rise. This OKC-based illustrator and graphic designer was recently featured in the 2026 Festival of Arts and is a returning Sunny Dayz muralist. Cromer brings her background in design and illustration directly into the mural process, with work that tends toward the whimsical, often rooted in expressive animal imagery, warm color palettes, and strong patterns.
As seen in images from the 2023 festival, Cromer’s earlier mural featured a high-contrast black cat on an ivory wall, its body and tail flowing in graceful curves, surrounded by peach tulips whose stems and leaves echoed the same rippling movements. Cheerful text beneath the image read “Happy to Be Here.”
After participating in 2024, Oklahoma City-based artist Ashton Letton returns to Sunny Dayz with collaborator Dwadlings. Letton’s work is immediately recognizable: strong blocks of vibrant color, bold outlines, and whimsical imagery that bring together animals, everyday objects, and playful patterns. The compositions are confident and often feature clear shapes and color blocks, while some works build layered passages of color.
Dwadlings will contribute six miniature murals to the festival, and the two artists make a natural team. Both favor bold design, strong lines, and anthropomorphized animals or fruits and vegetables set against patterned backgrounds that create a sense of movement and energy.
‘Inclusive, thoughtful, and forward-looking’
Together, these Oklahoma City artists bring distinct creative voices to a festival built on the belief that strong work emerges from strong support.
That ethos travels with the artists, from Oklahoma City studios to the walls of the Lilac District. On festival day, visitors can watch live painting in progress, talk with participating artists, and explore local shops throughout downtown Claremore.
“At its core, Sunny Dayz is about shaping the visual identity of Oklahoma in a way that is inclusive, thoughtful, and forward-looking,” Powell said. “We are incredibly grateful to the City of Claremore, local businesses, volunteers, and artists who are helping bring this vision to life.”
To learn more about Sunny Dayz 2026, visit: sunnydayzmuralfest.com
For more information on each participating OKC artist’s work, visit:
Virginia Sitzes: virginiasitzes.com and @virginiasitzes
Rachele Cromer: rachelecromer.com and @rachelecromerr
Ashton Letton and Dwadlings: @artbyhashlet; dwadlings.square.site and @dwadlings
Erin Schalk serves as a professional writer, visual artist, voice narrator, and accessibility-centered educator. She is the recent recipient of multiple Writer’s Digest awards and the Armed Services Arts Partnership’s National Scholarship. She has also received a Best of the Net nomination. Schalk’s work has appeared in Wordgathering, Stirring Lit, Parentheses International Literary Journal, The Petigru Review, and numerous other publications. She also received her MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
