HOW TO
try our six-s tep toolki t for creating public ar t. Make a Mural
Collaborate It takes motivated people to create public art, says visual artist Brian Pickens. It’s as simple as connecting artists, building owners, and organizations and individuals who want public art, he explains. Collaboration can be disorga- nized. Lori McKinney-Blankenship, an artist and arts organizer based in Princeton, suggests identifying a champion for the project, a person or group who will keep things moving and see the project through to the end. Arts Monongahela, the Mor- gantown area’s arts council, helps facilitate art projects and programs. “We are the medium that brings people togeth- er,” says Executive Director Beth Keener-Flanery. Funding Public art can be funded by private donors, through public fundraisers, by city and county orga- nizations, or through community-based art funds or grants—sometimes it takes all four. Your Community Foundation has awarded $600,000 in art grants in collaboration with Arts Mon on behalf of the City of Morgan- town, the Monongalia County Commission, and the Douglas H. Tanner Memorial Fund for the Arts over the past three years, says President Patty Ryan. Not a nonprofit? Local arts organizers have found success through Facebook fundraisers and crowdfunding platforms like GoFundMe. Get permission Identifying a loca- tion is first about identifying willing participants, says Michael Mills, chair of the Main Street Morgantown Design Committee. Formal permission from the building owner of the chosen location is required. He or she will need to approve every step of the process, from the mural’s design to its timeline for completion. While the City of Morgantown doesn’t currently require formal public approval of mural projects, the leader of any project needs to research whether the community has a local signage code or regulations on building facades that may impact their public art project.
It’s all about location The best spot for a mural is one where it can make a contribution, says Vincent Kitch, Morgan- town’s director of arts and cultural develop- ment—“a place where someone goes and has an interaction with the mural and the mural does what it’s supposed to do: stirs imagina- tion, creates thought or debate.” Keith Jackson,
dean of the College of Creative Arts at West Virginia University, says the location should be easily accessible to the public and part of the community’s everyday landscape. McKinney-Blankenship agrees. “When selecting a location, consider its visibility and meaning to the community.” Choose a design Public art should reflect the culture of its location, in Jackson’s mind. Brian Pickens’ Greenmont mural History is Right Around the Corner depicts Gene’s Beer Gar- den’s original owners, Joe and Frank Perilli, as well as Gene himself and his sister, Katy. The bar’s present owner, Al Bonner, “wanted to pay respect to the legacy of their ownership and stewardship of running a down-to-earth neigh- Create! In 1992, Anthony Colasante had a mural painted at the intersec- tion of University Avenue and Pleasant Street. Nearly 30 years on, it still advertises Colasante’s Ristorante & Pub. The painter recommended a high-quality paint that cost double the average gallon. “He told me if we used this, it would last forever,” Colasante says. Paint quality is some- thing all muralists should consider. “In most cases, you are investing time and resources into a mural so it will last for years to come,” McKinney-Blankenship says. Before painting brick or concrete, she recommends pressure washing and coating with a prep material, then a high-quali- ty exterior masonry seal and primer. borhood bar where everyone was welcome,” Pickens says. The mural features two of the beer garden’s mainstays— chili dogs and cold beer on tap. The right artist will create a work that helps the narrative of the community.
Adapted from the Tamarack Foundation for the Arts’ “Toolkits for the Arts” and the Create Your State program’s “Creating Public Works of Art.
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