Williamsburg Public Art Council

City of Williamsburg Agenda Williamsburg Public Art Council Meeting Monday, September 29, 2025 @ 3:30 PM Stryker Center (Room 127), 412 N Boundary St, Williamsburg, VA 23185 Page I. CALL TO ORDER II. APPROVAL OF MINUTES a. August 25, 2025 - WPAC Minutes 2-4 WPAC - August 2025 Minutes - draft III. CHAIR REPORT IV. STAFF REPORT a. CODAsummit 2025 b. Midtown Row Fall Festival 2025 5 Midtown Row Fall Festival Flyer c. 2026 Planning Updates V. NEW BUSINESS a. Williamsburg Poet Laureate Report & Program Funding Request 6 - 10 Agenda Item Summary WPL - Funding Proposal VI. NEXT MEETING The next meeting is Monday, October 27, 2025, at 3:30 pm in Room 127 at the Stryker Center. VII. ADJOURNMENT Page 1 of 10 The Williamsburg Public Art Council met at 3:30 pm, Monday, August 25, 2025, in room 127 at the Stryker Center, 412 N Boundary Street, Williamsburg, Virginia. WPAC members present: Robert Currie (Chair), Pat Dent, Bill Hamilton, Anne Hunt, Elaine McBeth, Barbara Ramsey, Rachel Trichler, and Barbara Vollmer. Barbara Ramsey joined the meeting following approval of a remote participation request. WPAC members absent: Cash Arehart Staff members present: Joanna Skrabala (Tourism Division Manager) and Sarah Seward (Economic Development Administrative Coordinator) I. Call to Order Mr. Currie called the meeting to order at 3:30 PM. II. Electronic Participation Request a. Consideration and Approval of Remote Participation Request from WPAC Member Barbara Ramsey Mr. Dent motioned to approve that the Williamsburg Public Art Council approve the remote participation request from Barbara Ramsey for August 25, 2025, WPAC meeting pursuant to the Code of Virginia Section 2.2-3708 and City Ordinance #24- 08. Seconded by Ms. Hunt. Approved by Mr. Dent, Mr. Hamilton, Ms. Hunt, Ms. McBeth, Ms. Ramsey, Ms. Trichler, and Ms. Vollmer. III. Approval of Minutes a. July 29, 2025, WPAC Minutes Ms. Hunt motioned to approve the June minutes as amended. Seconded by Ms Vollmer. Approved by Mr. Dent, Mr. Hamilton, Ms. Hunt, Ms. McBeth, Ms. Ramsey, Ms. Trichler, and Ms. Vollmer. IV. Chair’s Report a. Williamsburg Poet Laureate Updates Mr. Currie shared that Lacroy Nixon is working on a project titled "The Artist Garden," an after-school poetry program at Lafayette and Warhill High Schools, culminating in a student showcase at the Hennage Auditorium in February 2026. Mr. Nixon will be addressing the WPAC at next month’s meeting to request additional funding for programming needs and supplies. Page 2 of 10 V. Staff Report a. Public Art Maintenance Plan Ms. Skrabala reported that she and a City intern collaborated to develop a Public Art Maintenance Plan. This plan will be reviewed by staff and presented to the WPAC at a future meeting. VI. New Business a. 2026 Temporary Public Art Installations Ms. Skrabala presented a draft working plan for the 2026 Temporary Public Art Installations. The total project budget is not to exceed $300,000 and will include approximately 3–4 installations. Approximately $20,000 of this budget will be allocated to developing a grant program. Ms. Hunt inquired whether the grant program should be developed with a longer- term perspective (3–5 years in advance). Both Ms. Skrabala and Mr. Currie agreed, with Mr. Currie noting that focusing exclusively on 2026 could lead to playing "catch-up" in future years. The WPAC discussed theming. Ms. Skrabala offered to help refine and wordsmith potential titles, which will be shared with WPAC members in a poll for a vote. Installation Details and Scheduling: • Installation 1 – Swings: Proposed location: High Street Preferred timing: Spring 2026 (alternative: Fall 2026) Duration: Minimum of 1 month • Installation 2 – Living Lantern: Proposed location: Bicentennial Park Availability: Ready in spring 2026 (though designed to be completed by February) Preferred timing: Fall 2026, to better align with the anticipated completion of the Archaeology Building (April 2026) Duration: Estimated at 6 weeks • Installation 3 – Custom Digital Display: Proposed location: Merchants Square Timing: December 2026 Focus: Restoration and progression theme Ms. Skrabala reviewed the next steps: • Coordinate with relevant city departments and partners to determine a detailed timeline • Develop messaging and framework for the grant program • Seek WPAC funding approval (September/October 2025) Page 3 of 10  • Present to City Council for funding approval (October/November 2025) Ms. McBeth raised a question about insurance requirements for the High Street installation. Ms. Skrabala said that she would discuss this with the City Attorney. VII. Next Meeting The next meeting is Monday, September 29, 2025, at 3:30 PM in Room 127 at the Stryker Center. VIII. Adjournment Mr. Currie made a motion to adjourn the meeting at 4:35 PM. Seconded by Ms. Trichler. Approved by Mr. Currie, Mr. Dent, Mr. Hamilton, Ms. Hunt, Ms. McBeth, Ms. Ramsey, and Ms. Trichler. _______________________________________________ Bill Hamilton, Secretary Page 4 of 10 Page 5 of 10 Meeting Date: 9/29/25 Staff Contact: Joanna Skrabala, Tourism Division Manager Agenda Item Wording: Williamsburg Poet Laureate Report & Program Funding Request Background Information: After conducting an application and review process, the Williamsburg Public Art Council (WPAC) unanimously voted to recommend Lacroy Nixon as the inaugural Williamsburg Poet Laureate (WPL), and in April of 2025, City Council made the formal appointment. Mr. Nixon’s two-year term began on July 1, 2025, at the start of the new fiscal year. The WPL application required candidates to propose a community project that would be completed during the tenure of the appointment. Mr. Nixon proposed an after-school program that would engage students in the art form of poetry, bridging their creativity to the community. Adopted by City Council in March 2025, the WPL policy states that the WPL may request additional funding from WPAC to support additional programs and/or projects during their tenure. At today’s meeting, Mr. Nixon will provide a status update on his initiative and request additional funding to support the project in the amount of $1,345. This funding would be used for trophies/medals, custom t- shirts, and award money for the top-performing students, as detailed in Mr. Nixon’s proposal. If approved, all expenses would be paid directly from the City of Williamsburg. Previous Action: March 13, 2025 – City Council adopted WPAC’s Williamsburg Poet Laureate Program Policy. March 31, 2025 – WPAC voted to recommend Lacroy Nixon as the inaugural Williamsburg Poet Laureate. April 10, 2025 – City Council appointed Lacroy Nixon as the inaugural Williamsburg Poet Laureate. Staff Recommendation: Approve Mr. Nixon’s funding request for the WPL program. Sample Motion: I move that the Williamsburg Public Art Council allocate no more than $1,400 of its FY26 budget for the Williamsburg Poet Laureate program initiatives, the details of which are included in Lacroy Nixon’s proposal. Page 6 of 10 FUNDING PROPOSAL Poet Laureate Program – Additional Support Request Submitted to: Williamsburg Public Art Council Submitted by: Lacroy Nixon, Williamsburg Poet Laureate Date: September 29, 2025 Executive Summary The Williamsburg Poet Laureate respectfully requests that the Williamsburg Public Art Council allocate additional funding from its FY26 budget in the amount of $1,345 to support program initiatives. Details regarding the proposed use of funds are outlined below. Project Description Arts in the state of VA are thriving. People of all ages are looking for new and engaging ways to express themselves and connect with their community. The Artist Garden was formed to cultivate a culture of collaboration amongst young creatives, and provide an innovative platform for self expression. Although they are young now, the students that emerge from this program will go on to do great things for their community and for the world. There are many different elements that help make a curated space or a creative community run effectively. The average artist on any level is typically forced to learn these elements as they go along their creative journey. While the experience can be enlightening, it can cause many downfalls along the way. The purpose of The Artist Garden program is to teach young artists how to be effective on and off the stage. The program will teach skills that can be taken to any profession or field of study. Program Numbers ●​ 4 staff members ○​ 3 at Lafayette ○​ 1 at Warhill ●​ 9 students all together ○​ 5 at Lafayette ○​ 4 at Warhill ●​ All students are interested in performing ○​ Most are willing to hybrid performance and event planning ●​ The Artist Garden Grand Slam will be in the Hennage Auditorium on Feb 7, 2026 at 7 PM Page 7 of 10 Main Objectives ●​ To equip young artists with the tools to succeed on and off the stage ●​ To prepare young artists for college and life ●​ To create a community of young creatives to cultivate the arts in the city Skill Breakdown There are two separate tracks for students to choose for the program. The performance track focuses on teaching students how to write and perform slam poetry. The event track teaches necessary skills to plan, market, and run an event featuring the performers from the program. Performance Track ●​ Public speaking ○​ Presentation ○​ Performance ●​ Creative writing ○​ Poetry ○​ Figurative Language Deliverables ●​ The students in this track will write at least 3 poetry pieces and perform in a slam completion. Event Track ●​ Marketing ○​ Self promotion ○​ Social Media ●​ Campaigning ○​ Photography ○​ Video ●​ Event Planning ○​ Curating ○​ Fundraising Page 8 of 10  Deliverables ○​ The students in this track will write at least 3 poetry pieces and perform in a slam completion.Booking a venue Plan & Timeline Overall Goal by February Have the poets ready to perform in a slam or showcase as well as a team of youth behind the scenes planning the event September: Foundation Goal: Establish artistic direction for writing and promotion.Each poet will finish 1-2 poems minimum. Creative collateral and strategy is made October: Implementation Goal: Coordinate logistics for artists and events. Develop teams and roles. Calculate event logistics. Poets finish a minimum 3 poems total. November-January: Finalization Goal: Finalize all logistics for the even, Team photo shoot, Coordinate volunteers and event personnel, and Introduce/promote performers on social media Future objectives(1- 4 years) ●​ Expand the program to Bruton & Jamestown High School (4 schools total) ●​ Build a paid staff team (grant funded) Funding Request Page 9 of 10 The Poet Laureate program respectfully requests an allocation of $1,345. All expenditures will be paid directly by the City of Williamsburg. Proposed use of funds: ●​ $140.00 - Awards from Flemmings Engravingshttps://www.flemingsawards.com/shopping-cart/view-cart.php?DiscountCode =&ShippingMethod=v6hsPvqCs&ShippingPostal=&button=Recalculate&SID=2quu9v2oo 35dj7l5kehgvju7em ○​ 1 team trophy ($46.09) ○​ 3 individual medals($77.17) ●​ $680.00 - Custom Tshirts from Parkway Printshop https://www.parkwayprintshop.com/pricing ○​ 50 shirts $677.50 ■​ Possible revenue with tshirts sold ●​ $525 - Cash Prize for the winners of the Grand Slam ○​ $300 for 1st place ○​ $150 for 2nd place ○​ $75 for 3rd place Anticipated Outcomes With this additional funding, the program will: ●​ Grow awareness/brand awareness for the program ○​ There is nothing else like this in the area ●​ Establish the program as a focal point for youth arts in the area ○​ By funding this program, we establish an artistic pipeline for young creatives ●​ Give students a chance to be on a bigger platform and be recognized for their talent ○​ The arts movement in VA needs more curated youth platforms like this Page 10 of 10