A Port Washington man’s mission to highlight Port’s history and artistry includes a new opportunity for the community.

Would-be artists and designers are invited to submit a design concept for a mural along West Jackson Street in Port Washington, making the expanse of wall into a pedestrian-friendly walkway.

The winning concept will be chosen by the Main St. design committee. The purpose of the competition is to educate, inspire and express the unique heritage of this historic city through visual communication, according to Adam Brown of Sign Effectz, Inc. / AFX.

“We want to let people who are inspired by the project to come out and help design it,” Brown said.

The competition is sponsored by Port Washington Main St. and Sign Effectz. Brown, a Port resident, is on the Main St. design committee.

Submission deadline for the competition is January 1st. The entry form can be downloaded from Sign Effectz’s Facebook page or the Port Washington Main St. website.

The Heritage Wall competition is not limited to professional artists. In fact, Brown is encouraging any artistic community members, including students, to submit a concept design.

Nor is there any limit on creativity. Sign Effectz, which builds and install signs and public art, has the capability to bring different types of artwork into existence. Recently, they made headlines for building a gigantic coffee cup for Stone Creek Coffee corporate headquarters in Milwaukee.

The only limit is that the competition hasn't had much of response yet.

Brown’s hoping to generate interest in the project and to art in general in Port Washington.

“I’ve been trying to get more involved locally to bring art into the town," Brown said.

"Mural art is one way to do that. It’s also a great way to unite the community.”

In the future, Brown would like to bring back some of the city’s distressed pop art –the Bernie’s Meat sign is a perfect example of the city’s historic pop art.

“It’s in our heritage and it shows how cool our town is,” he said.

A recent project of Brown’s in Port includes the Ruach outdoor sculpture at the First Congregational Church.