Meet 3 Artists Participating in KissFist Mural Festival

Artist: Nico Cathcart. Grow-Miami Awall Mural Fest, Dec 2024

Artist Kate Fitzpatrick is making mural festivals accessible to a community historically excluded from them. And she’s starting big. Fitzpatrick is the founder of the KissFist Mural Fest, a celebration of artists from the deaf community. The three-day festival will take place from October 17 to 19, 2025, at RiNo ArtPark in Denver, Colorado.

Fitzpatrick is a mural artist who has participated in several festivals over the years, and it was at one of those events that the idea for KissFist Mural Fest was born. “I am a CODA (child of deaf adults) and grew up in the deaf community,” she told My Modern Met earlier this year. “At the end of this festival, there was an awards ceremony which was presented in spoken English. My family was with me and as there was no interpreter present, my partner (also a CODA) stepped in and interpreted the event for my deaf family.”

“This is certainly not the first time something like this has happened, nor will it be the last, but something about this particular time just made me tired,” she explained. “I wanted to be at a mural fest where deaf culture was centered. I wanted to be around artists who were deaf, deaf blind, hard of hearing, and CODA. I thought that would be incredibly fun. That’s where the idea for the KissFist Mural Fest began.”

There are 10 artists slated to participate in the first annual festival. “A big part of the fest is creating a mural opportunity for artists who haven’t had one yet,” Fitzpatrick says, “so we have a mix of experienced mural artists and new ones.”

One artist you’ll see at the festival is Ellen Mansfield. “Art is the visual language of culture,” she tells My Modern Met. “Participating in KissFist is fantastic because it allows me to combine my art talents with my culture and language, showcasing that intersection to a wider audience.” Her mural will be called ASL Blessing: Earth Embraces. “It’s an expression of nature’s powerful, uplifting force. The art aims to portray the natural world as an equalizer, where I am simply a human being, defined by my ASL gift.”

Natalia Popham will also be painting. “I am eager to work with other Deaf and hard of hearing artists!” She shares. “Growing up hard of hearing but communicating verbally, then getting a cochlear implant as an adult, it was easy at times to feel like I floated between two worlds and didn’t quite fit with either. I most often operate within the hearing world, and I have found ways to do so pretty comfortably, but it is encouraging and comforting to be surrounded with other Deaf/HoH people who experience the world more similarly.”

KissFest represents an “enticing challenge” for Popham. “I have not worked on this large of a scale or on this short of a timeframe before. I have often wanted to paint this large but have felt held back by not having the time or necessarily having a place to put so large a painting, and I am thrilled to have this opportunity now.”

You’ll also meet artist Nico Cathcart at the festival. “As a Deaf/Hard of Hearing woman, I am constantly in the process of advocating for my community. There is so much stigma and misunderstanding about what it means to be a Deaf person, that I strive to become a bridge between the worlds. Doing so often means I am the only Deaf/HoH person around, however.”

KissFist is a valuable way for Cathcart and other artists to be in community. “Making safe spaces like this is so important to highlight and uplift the Deaf community, which is largely left out of the conversation when it comes to the arts,” Cathcart says. “Festivals like this are breaking those barriers down, and I am so honored to be a part of the inaugural event. It’s so important to use art to talk about things that matter, and events like this allow us to share the Deaf experience!”

If you’re in Denver, be sure to visit these artists and the other participating creatives at KissFist Mural Fest from October 17 to October 19, 2025, in RiNo ArtPark. Painting is from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily.

KissFist Mural Fest is a celebration of artists from the deaf community. The three-day festival will take place from October 17 to 19, 2025, at RiNo ArtPark in Denver, Colorado.

There are 10 artists slated to participate in the first annual festival. “A big part of the fest is creating a mural opportunity for artists who haven’t had one yet,” founder Kate Fitzpatrick says, “so we have a mix of experienced mural artists and new ones.”

One artist you’ll see at the festival is Ellen Mansfield. “Participating in KissFist is fantastic because it allows me to combine my art talents with my culture and language, showcasing that intersection to a wider audience.”

Artist: Ellen Mansfield. Mural Concept Mock-up for ASL Blessing: Earth Embraces. This image is a digital representation generated from the original handmade tile and sketch to illustrate the final design.