A regional mural care network · Western New York

The Mural Care Network for Western New York.

Great Lakes Mural Conservation connects mural owners with vetted local artists, restoration workers, and conservation-minded project support to document, repair, protect, and maintain public art.

Request Mural Help Join the Artist Network Partner With Us

Serving the Greater Great Lakes Region

Conservator on scaffolding restoring a large outdoor mural on a weathered Buffalo brick wall

Plate 01 — Field documentation

Who this is for

One network. Three ways in.

We coordinate the connection between mural owners, qualified local artists and workers, and the community partners that help keep public art alive.

For Mural Owners

Need help with fading, peeling, graffiti, water damage, touch-ups, or long-term maintenance? Start with a mural health request.

Request Mural Help

For Artists & Mural Workers

Get connected to paid mural documentation, maintenance, restoration, touch-up, and public art care opportunities.

Join the Artist Network

For Arts Councils & Community Partners

Help connect local artists with paid work while supporting long-term care for public art in your community.

Partner With Us

Detail of a faded peeling outdoor mural showing paint failure and efflorescence

Why conservation matters

Murals are public assets. Without care, they fail.

A mural is a neighborhood landmark, a cultural record, and a property improvement — but only as long as it holds up. Without maintenance, paint fades, surfaces peel, walls move, and graffiti accumulates. The cost of waiting is almost always higher than the cost of caring for it.

Cultural value

Murals carry community memory, history, and identity. Each one is one of a kind.

Property value

Maintained public art lifts the value of the wall, the block, and the district around it.

Cost discipline

Annual care is dramatically less expensive than full restoration after damage has set in.

Artist respect

Coordinated care preserves the artist's intent and protects everyone's interests.

Core services

What we do for murals and public art.

From a one-time condition report to a multi-year maintenance plan, we work at the scale your wall and your budget call for.

Mural Condition Reports

Documented assessments of paint, wall, and environmental risks.

Restoration & Touch-Ups

Targeted repairs and color-matched in-painting to preserve original intent.

Cleaning & Surface Care

Gentle methods calibrated to paint system, substrate, and age.

Graffiti Response

Prioritized response that protects the underlying mural surface.

Protective Coating Consultation

Independent guidance on UV, moisture, and salt protection.

Annual Maintenance Plans

Ongoing inspections, light cleaning, and minor touch-up allowances.

Artist & Property Owner Coordination

We document, coordinate, and protect everyone's interests.

New Mural Longevity Planning

Substrate, paint, and coating guidance before the first brushstroke.

See full service detail →

Start here

The Mural Health Check

Before any restoration work begins, every mural deserves to be documented and assessed. A Mural Health Check gives you a clear, written understanding of where the mural stands today, what is at risk, and what the next reasonable step looks like.

·On-site visit and review
·Photo documentation
·Damage and fading assessment
·Wall and substrate condition
·Peeling, water, and salt review
·Graffiti and vandalism review
·Written summary report
·Recommended next steps + budget range

Learn more about the Health Check

Conservator examining a weathered outdoor mural with a notebook and camera

Industrial Buffalo brick building with a public mural under a heavy winter sky

Built for Western New York conditions

Buffalo weather is not gentle on paint.

Outdoor murals here have to survive freeze/thaw cycles, lake-effect storms, UV exposure, moisture intrusion, brick and masonry movement, road salt, and regular graffiti pressure. Our methods are built around those realities — not borrowed from a different climate.

Freeze / thaw: Cycles of expansion and contraction crack paint film and substrates.
Lake-effect weather: Wind-driven moisture and snow load test every coating.
UV exposure: Pigments fade and binders break down without protection.
Moisture intrusion: Failing walls push water through paint from behind.
Road salt: Salt spray accelerates efflorescence on lower wall areas.
Graffiti pressure: Frequent tagging without a response plan damages the original work.

Who we serve

A trusted partner for the people responsible for public art.

We work alongside the owners, stewards, and creators who care about keeping murals intact.

Municipalities

Property Owners

Artists

Developers

Schools & Universities

Nonprofits

Business Districts

Churches & Community Organizations

Our process

A disciplined, five-step approach.

Every project follows the same structured path — scaled to the size, complexity, and risk of the mural.

01
Document
Photograph and catalog the mural's current condition end-to-end.
02
Assess
Evaluate paint failure, substrate, environmental exposure, and risk.
03
Plan
Recommend a scope — from light maintenance to full restoration.
04
Restore
Color-match, in-paint, and stabilize using reversible methods where possible.
05
Maintain
Annual inspections and a graffiti-response plan keep the work intact.

Have a mural that needs attention?

Submit a mural help request. We'll review the project, document the wall, and match qualified local artists and workers from our network.

Request Mural Help Join the Artist Network