Get Sam to Paint Louis

Samantha Soper is organizing this fundraiser.

Donation protected

Hi, I am Sam Soper! I'm raising money to go paint a huge tugboat frog on the Mural Mile in St. Louis during the 2023 Paint Louis festival. This is a graffiti festival that has been going on since 1997 and is one of the biggest in the country, featuring over 500 artists from across the world and three days of live music, breakdancing, and more. It's a very prestigious jam and I've been invited to paint alongside some international artists and crews I've looked up to for years. Additionally, the Mural Mile is in the Guinness Book of World Records for the longest mural in the world.

Why am I fundraising?

Jams like this are unfortunately unpaid and, as a full-time freelancer, I do not have paid vacation time. Due to scheduling, I will need to fly up there, which means I am super limited on what I can bring up with me. I'll have to buy my paints up there and ship them back to myself because aerosol paints are not allowed in checked or carry-on baggage. I have some pals in San Antonio that said they could help me get my ladder up there, but if I can raise the funds, I can rent a scissor lift because it's a 20ft high wall and that will be much safer.

Why do I want to go?

I have already painted different frog characters in Austin, Dallas, San Antonio (on July 8th) and New Orleans, each a native species often reflecting some activity, stylings, or unique aspects of the city or space. Helping to raise awareness of native species and the importance of preserving wetland habitats and local culture.

This one, in particular, is special to me because, growing up, my dad was a tugboat maintenance engineer on the Mississippi River in New Orleans. I've been around tugboats since I was a little baby and the river always makes me think of them. He's been retired for the past few years and has been going through some health issues. Since the Mural Mile is a Mississippi River floodwall, I wanted to do a piece that pays homage to his work and to all the blue-collar workers who help keep our supply chain functioning.

Why am I trying to do free labor?

There is a bit of a Catch 22 to being a professional muralist. One cannot get hired on for large public arts projects unless they have experience producing large public art. A ton of professional muralists I know who are now financially doing very well for themselves got their start funding and investing in projects like these to help expand their portfolio and their network.
Events like this center on creating something for the enjoyment of the public. When I did SheUnit in Dallas earlier this year, hearing kids excitedly point out my frog character and women wanting to take pictures with it because they saw themselves reflected filled me with so many warm fuzzies. Any time I get the chance to teach someone a little bit about spray paint when I am out at these events makes me super happy, too. Inspiring creativity in others lights me up and makes me hopeful for the future.
From a mental health perspective, being able to create at this scale is such an amazing feeling for me. Events like this give us complete creative freedom and allow us the opportunity to do something for the fun of it!

What will these funds be going towards?