Trinity River Distillery to Award $1,000 in Whiskey for Mural Contest

The Trinity River Distillery is about to host a rather spirited art contest.

The downtown Fort Worth distillery is calling upon local artists to submit their work for a chance to become the distillery’s official muralist. While creativity is encouraged, each contestant must create and submit a design that will cover the complex’s 60-foot-wide by 40-foot-tall wall and that can easily be seen from 600 yards away.

It’s part of an effort to embrace the cultural history of Fort Worth, so artists must be prepared to create something that is both inspirational and informative while also shining a light on the area’s rich history.

"Trinity River Distillery is doing this for more than just finding a way to decorate our complex," distillery co-owner Bruce Conti says. “This is an opportunity for artists of any experience level to inspire thousands of viewers each day. ... We want to add to the artistic renaissance that Fort Worth is currently undergoing."

The distillery has sweetened the pot by offering the winning artist $1,000 worth of any Trinity River Distillery product, including its Texas Silver Star line of whiskeys, liqueurs and vodkas. If the winner is not a spirit drinker, he or she can instead claim $1,000 worth of drinks from the distillery’s neighbor and sister brewery, Wild Acre Brewing.

The distillery will also pay for materials and production costs associated with the installation of the mural.

As Conti noted, the real prize isn't whiskey, it's the opportunity to be a part of history; the distillery is housed in the former Ranch Style Beans plant, which operated from 1913 to 2007.

“We hope artists see this as an opportunity for them to show [passersby] what Fort Worth is all about,” he says.

To submit, artists must send sketch proposals and 100-word descriptions of their proposed murals to [email protected] by Dec. 5.