MidxMidwst exceeds $10K Kickstarter goal 

A Springfield mural art and culture festival set to make its debut this fall got a financial boost thanks to a successful crowdfunding campaign.

The MidxMidwst Arts & Culture Initiative surpassed its $10,000 Kickstarter campaign goal late last week and raised $10,242 from 122 backers by deadline. Artist Meg Wagler, founder of the festival and the MidxMidwst organization, said pledges are still welcome for the Kickstarter, which started March 16 and ends April 15. She said it provides a variety of perks for backers, such as all-access passes and branded merchandise.

“It means that the community is excited about it,” she said of reaching the Kickstarter goal. “We’re ready to collectively get to work. It was a little bit of a relief but mostly just excitement at moving forward.”

Roughly 50 tickets for the Sept. 11-12 event in downtown Springfield have been sold exclusively through the campaign, Wagler said. Ticket sales for the general public will be launched in May on the MidxMidwst website, she said. The event is slated to feature live mural painting and music.

The September festival marks the second attempt for MidxMidwst organizers in as many years. Plans for the inaugural event were dashed in 2020 amid the coronavirus pandemic.  

Wagler previously told Springfield Business Journal the festival will cost around $100,000 and that negotiations are ongoing with building owners for mural locations. Most of the festival activity will be in the Robberson Avenue alley area downtown, near Park Central East.

As the Kickstarter campaign winds down this week, Wagler said festival organizers are turning more of their focus toward sponsorships and event programming. She said software development studio Self Interactive and law firm Roundtable Legal are two new sponsors. A few more soon will be announced as agreements become finalized, she said.

“We’re excited to be chugging along on that,” she said.

The nine-person artist roster, including Wagler, carried over from the planned 2020 event. She said the music lineup is tentatively set to be announced July 1.