Williamsburg Public Art Council

City of Williamsburg Agenda Williamsburg Public Art Council Meeting Monday, November 28, 2022 @ 3:30 PM Stryker Center (Room 127), 412 N Boundary St, Williamsburg, VA 23185 Page I. CALL TO ORDER II. APPROVAL OF MINUTES a. October 31, 2022 - WPAC Minutes 2-3 WPAC - October 31, 2022 Minutes - Draft b. November 14, 2022 - WPAC Minutes 4-5 WPAC - November 14, 2022 Minutes - Draft III. CHAIR'S REPORT IV. STAFF UPDATE a. Introduction: Sarah Seward, Administrative Coordinator V. MURAL PROGRAM AT MIDTOWN ROW a. Mural Curation Services b. Wall #2: Update c. Wall #1: Discussion of Proposals VI. NEXT MEETING The next meeting is Monday, January 30, 2023, at 3:30 pm in Room 127 at the Stryker Center. VII. ADJOURNMENT Page 1 of 5 The Williamsburg Public Art Council met at 3:00 pm, Wednesday, October 31, 2022, in room 127 at the Stryker Center, 412 N Boundary Street, Williamsburg, Virginia. WPAC members present: Robert Currie (Chair), Patricia Rublein (Vice-Chair), Scott Spence (Secretary), Pat Dent, Barbara Ramsey, Rachel Trichler, Harold Philipsen, Sally Wolfe WPAC members absent: Conor Sokolowsky Staff members present: Joanna Skrabala (Tourism Development Specialist) Others present: Hannah Warner (Midtown Row) I. Call to Order Mr. Currie called the meeting to order at 3:02 pm. II. Approval of Minutes a. September 26, 2022 – WPAC Minutes Ms. Rublein made a motion to approve the September minutes and Mr. Dent seconded. Mr. Philipsen and Ms. Wolfe abstained and everyone else approved. III. Chair’s Report a. New Member – Sally Wolfe Mr. Currie introduced new WPAC member Sally Wolfe to the group as the Tourism Development Grant Review Committee representative. Ms. Wolfe said she used to serve on the Williamsburg Area Arts Commission and currently works at Williamsburg Landing. Everyone introduced themselves. IV. Mural Program at Midtown Row a. Wall #2 Ms. Skrabala reported Silas Baker had completed his mural on wall #2, alongside Food Lion. Ms. Warner joined the group via RingCentral. She said there were potted plants in front of the mural; however, they were only temporary and would be moved elsewhere on the property. She said fencing was being considered for disguising the white tanks to the right of the mural. Ms. Warner also said Midtown Row would be working with the Williamsburg Garden Club to plant a garden in the spring. She said it would also include a pathway around the mural. Page 2 of 5  Ms. Ramsey asked Ms. Warner if Midtown Row had heard any feedback about the mural and Ms. Warner said everything they’ve heard has been mostly positive. Ms. Warner said Midtown Row wanted to plan a small unveiling celebration. The group decided on Thursday, November 17 at 4:00 pm. Ms. Skrabala said she would work with Ms. Warner on coordinating the event and would send details to the WPAC. b. Update on Wall #1 Ms. Skrabala said the RFQ had been posted for wall #1. She said she had not yet received any submissions; however, she’s received several inquiries. She also said Virginia Beach’s ViBe District sent it to their artist database. c. Marquee Wall – Branded Arts Mr. Currie reported that that Branded Arts had submitted a formal proposal for mural curation services for the wall alongside Marshall’s. Ms. Skrabala said all proposals were due on November 1. Mr. Currie said he would like to schedule a separate meeting to finalize a recommendation to City Council and brainstorm content ideas. Mr. Currie said he spoke with Asa Jackson the week prior about the regional mural festival and Mr. Jackson said he would still like to aim for spring 2023; however, Mr. Currie said fall 2023 would be better for Williamsburg. V. Next Meeting The next regular meeting is scheduled for Monday, November 28. The WPAC scheduled an additional meeting regarding the mural curation services for November 14 at 12:30 pm. Ms. Skrabala said she would send out an invite. VI. Adjournment Mr. Currie made a motion to adjourn the meeting and Mr. Philipsen seconded. All approved and the meeting adjourned at 3:58 pm. _______________________________________________ Scott Spence, Secretary Page 3 of 5 The Williamsburg Public Art Council met at 12:30 pm, Monday, November 14, 2022, in room 127 at the Stryker Center, 412 N Boundary Street, Williamsburg, Virginia. WPAC members present: Robert Currie (Chair), Patricia Rublein (Vice-Chair), Scott Spence (Secretary), Pat Dent, Barbara Ramsey, Rachel Trichler, Harold Philipsen, Sally Wolfe, Conor Sokolowsky Staff members present: Joanna Skrabala (Tourism Development Specialist) Others present: Hannah Warner (Midtown Row) I. Call to Order Mr. Currie called the meeting to order at 12:34 pm. II. Mural Program at Midtown Row a. Mural Curation Services Mr. Currie said the goal of the meeting was to have a conversation about reference materials for the mural alongside Marshalls, but first the WPAC needed to approve a company for recommendation to City Council. Ms. Skrabala said two proposals were submitted: Branded Arts and the Mural Co. She said Branded Arts came in at $50,000 all inclusive and The Mural Co. was just over $70,000 with an optional AR component. Ms. Wolfe asked if the AR component could be something Branded Arts would consider, as well. Ms. Ramsey said her experience shows that AR is hit or miss. Ms. Ramsey made a motion to approve hiring Branded Arts in the amount of $50,000 for mural curation services, contingent on City Council’s approval. Ms. Rublein seconded and all approved. Ms. Skrabala said the recommendation would be made at City Council’s December 8th meeting. b. Mural Content Discussion At this time, the group began discussion on content for the planned mural. Below are highlights from that discussion. • Mr. Philipsen said he preferred a contemporary look. • Ms. Warner shared imagery that lent itself to selfies (i.e. butterfly/angel wings) Page 4 of 5  • Ms. Trichler liked the idea of drawing from colors around the City. She shared additional imagery, including toile designs and geometric patterns. She suggested using Williamsburg iconography such as the pineapple or oysters. • Ms. Rublein said she liked the style of the artist Saber due to his abstraction and “breaking the frame” of the artwork. She also suggested Ian Wilkerson (VCU alum), Curtis Pittman, and Shepard Fairey. Mr. Currie said the latter might be out of the WPAC budget. • Ms. Wolfe shared an image by artist Add Fuel that included a “ripped effect” and everyone was in agreement over liking the style. • Ms. Ramsey said she would prefer to see something abstract or geometric that did not include scenes of people. • Mr. Currie agreed with Ms. Ramsey and said flora and fauna could work on the wall, as well. He said he might like to see some exposed brick in the design; however, Mr. Spence said that might not work due to the wall’s mismatching brick colors. • The group agreed to liking the idea of layering patterns and creating depth to the artwork in a historical and modern way. • Mr. Currie also suggested something that reflects indigenous people. He said he would look into the Colonial Williamsburg archives for patterns. Ms. Trichler also recommended looking at the Williamsburg Home Brand on Instagram. III. Next Meeting The next meeting is scheduled for Monday, November 28, 2022, at 3:30 pm. IV. Adjournment Mr. Philipsen made a motion to adjourn and Ms. Rublein seconded. The meeting adjourned at 1:45 pm. _______________________________________________ Scott Spence, Secretary Page 5 of 5