Dylan Jung Earns $15K Prize for Captivating ‘Portals’ Art Showcase

Jerome musician Dylan Jung has been named one of the eight inaugural recipients of a $15,000 Radical Unity Grant by the Mediators Foundation based in Boulder, Colorado. This prestigious award, announced on July 11, aims to foster unity and inspire civic engagement through creative endeavors.

Jung plans to leverage the grant to host “Portals in the Park: Painting, Lore, Music and More” at the Jerome Community Garden and Middle Park on Saturday, Aug. 24, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The event invites residents to enjoy a day filled with arts, children’s activities, face painting, music, and collaborative mural painting. This interactive mural will be displayed throughout Jerome during the election year.

The Mediators Foundation highlighted the grant’s goal in their press release: “This grant initiative was established to empower individuals and organizations whose creative endeavors harness the power of creativity to foster unity and strengthen the civic fabric across the United States.”

The event will feature performances by the jazz trio Tria Prima, guitarist Doyle Figueroa, and Jung’s alter ego, DJ Lounge Lizard D. The performance lineup is flexible, but visitors can expect the presence of food trucks and a variety of art projects.

Residents will have the opportunity to express their community spirit through painting sections of the mural and creating gnome or fairy doors. Jerome artists such as Sarah Love Joy, Rhiannon Ganz Coulombe, Lauren Crosby, Josh Hunt, and Damian Gomez will guide attendees through these creative endeavors.

“The whole event is free and open to the public, and we will be supplying all of the materials to paint on the murals and to create the Gnome and Fairy Doors,” Jung stated. He encouraged attendees to bring small personal trinkets to incorporate into the fairy doors, symbolizing their vision for the future.

Tria Prima’s bass player, Cole Vasquez, elaborated on the unique approach of their performances: “We’re looking for people to experience music as subjectively as possible. Everybody’s got an imagination. So we hope to take you into that imaginative space.” The band generally plays original songs influenced by a variety of genres, from European jazz to progressive rock, occasionally incorporating video game covers for a diverse musical experience.

Vasquez emphasized the event’s broader objective: “We are trying to make this thing a machine that has momentum so future artists can come to town and the next generation sees that it’s OK to spend your time doing creative acts, and that the community will support them in that pursuit.”

For more information, interested parties can contact Dylan Jung at sipwineandmusic@gmail.com or (928) 202-8144.