Tours 
When everything comes together
Over the last years, we have filled Breda with meaningful murals. And that number grows every year. But before the first paintstrokes are placed, we’ve put in months of work and preparation. Time to explain how the process works.
In three parts we will guide you through the process of each mural. This part is about the moment we’ve all been working towards for so long: the making of the mural!
We spend months going back and forth with the artists. “And then suddenly they are in Breda and start working. During their visit, artists stay in the Blind Walls Gallery apartment. We show them around the city and go out to dinner together, often inviting other artists. That way we try to make the artist feel at home,” says Stein. But the neighbourhood certainly takes care of that as well. We’ve been working on it for a year, but the neighbours hear about it for a year as well. So it’s also an exciting project for them. During the period that an artist is at work, local residents will bring them coffee, sausage rolls and pastries.
Zenk One working on a Blind Wall | Photo by Rosa Meininger
There are Blind Walls by artists from all over the world. They appreciate our way of working.A lot of attention goes into the place, the story and the local residents. You will never see the same mural somewhere else, because a mural always centers around that one part of Breda. “If we can’t work according to this concept, we’re not doing it,” says Stein. These clear preconditions set us apart from other organisations, Wouter adds. “Everything is well prepared, we arrange their accommodation and provide the best materials. That’s where our strength lies.”
Part of Breda
When a Blind Wall is being made Stein and Wouter visit daily and provide the artist with necessary materials. But the other team members also stop by to take a look. We’ve all seen the design, but to see it in real life is always exciting for us. Neighbours regularly stop by to see the progress and have a chat. Sometimes artists also receive a piece of art in return. In 2018, when French artist Mantra finished making the largest insect box in Breda, a girl gave him a selfmade butterfly drawing.
Sophie made a butterfly drawing for Mantra | Photo by Marianne Hakkenbroek
Artists really belong to the neighbourhood. And when they leave Breda, a beautiful mural remains, which we and the local residents are so proud of. But our job isn’t over yet. We then tell as many people as possible about it through social media, videos, articles and tours. In an apartment building on the Tuinzigtlaan, the artist duo TelmoMiel made a large painting about ‘The Flee from Breda’. Residents of that flat are super proud of the mural and all have a mug featuring a photo of the mural. Our Blind Walls are honoured and passed on in many different ways.
Blind Wall by Levi Jacobs | Photo by Joost van Asch