I have just completed my second trip to Conway--during the week of April 12th--in which I presented my preliminary mural design. With help from UCA faculty, invitations went out and a meeting was held on Thursday, April 12th at 7pm at the Circuit Court Building in downtown Conway.
In this meeting, I presented my design, walking the group through each part, explaining the historical references and symbolism throughout. I was very quickly amazed at the thoughtful and positive criticism that I received from the group. Everyone present took a turn offering suggestions, comments and compliments. Once the comments had subsided, I closed the meeting by thanking everyone for their time and letting them know that I would consider their suggestions and offer a final design by the end of May.
The next day, Dr. Gayle Seymour (of UCA) and I presented the design to the Conway Public Art Committee at City Hall—the very site of the mural. This committee was gathered by Mayor Tab Townsell as part of the new Conway Public Art Resolution that has made a clear-cut and transparent approval process of planning, creating and installing public art in the city of Conway. Just as I was pleasantly surprised by the candor of the community meeting the night before, this meeting also surpassed my expectations.
Having created and run a community mural program in Pittsburgh over the past four years, I have had many opportunities to work with that city government and navigate through its approval processes. I have to say that someone in Conway is doing something right. The public art committee made it very clear that they were to represent the citizens of Conway, and wanted to go over the suggestions made at the previous meeting and discuss my plans to accommodate those ideas. The committee members were very kind, bright and organized. We discussed at length (as three of the committee members had attended the previous meeting) all of the suggestions and comments that were brought up at the community meeting. I spoke about my plans to make some of those changes, and reasons why some of the suggestions would not work from a design and content perspective.
We concluded the meeting by agreeing that I would deliver a final design via email to the community group and the public art committee by the end of May. Upon satisfactory receipt of the design, the committee would then present the design to city council along with their endorsement. We would then begin painting in late August.
I wanted to share this story with you so that everyone interested can understand the process that your city officials have made, and to offer my glowing endorsement of it. Thank you all once again for your continued support. I will deliver the final design by the end of May, 2007, and look forward to begin painting by the end of August. I am very excited about this project, and believe that it will be a lasting landmark and source of pride for Conway for many years to come.
Regarding the design changes, following are notes from the Preliminary Design Presentation:
Cloud shapes (meaning in the shapes?)
Question of the tree
Turn the cbc building to see the towers better
Quilt bothers people (looks like a snake chocking her)
Have it flying out behind (or above to take up space in the sky) with her hands holding it
Picture of the child is the focus and takes away from the rest of it
Size needs to be scaled down
Glasses? (tone them down, change the size or shape, seem too goggle-like)
Agreement with the size of the girl drawing you into the mural
Facial expression shows excitement/anticipation of the future
UCA symbol on the shirt is on the wrong side for a monogram
Boy playing with the engine seems like he’s coming out of her leg (change where the quilt is to bring a definite break between the two figures)
Show UCA as a purple stuffed bear being taught by the girl
UCA shown three times and all the other schools only being shown one (is it more important?)
Make the hill go up higher on the left to fill up more of the sky (enlarge the land)
Sky takes up more than half Or move the land up on the right
Is the little girl going to stay as ghostly/undetailed?
(some agree that she should stay out of focus because she seems off in the distance) Turn the baton into a ruler
Make sure to include something (text panel) to explain the meaning behind the mural
If the hand didn’t hold a quilt in the right hand there could be something
Hold a ribbon stick, kite, airplane something that could contain the quilt pattern in it
Bring the land up on the right side and bring the pixilation down into the land
Is happy/uplifting
Putting something in the right hand would take focus away from everything else because it would take up room
Use a clothespin or something to hold the quilt together at her neck
In response to these suggestions, I would just say at this point that all are under consideration. Gene Hatfield made many astute observations at the community meeting—specifically, the comment he made about the snake-like and “choking” nature of the quilt-cape was very helpful, and therefore, I will most definitely re-visit that. The pink glasses…well…I am still considering those comments.
I am also going to finish out some of the children characters. I will add “real” portraits to all of the children’s faces, with the aid of photos taken of Boys and Girls Club of Conway members. The Native American child will also undergo some changes in dress that will make him/her more historically accurate with some helpful research provided by Professor Morales of UCA.
I had a wonderful time in my last visit, and look forward to my stay in Conway this fall. Please watch for a final design by the end of May.
In this meeting, I presented my design, walking the group through each part, explaining the historical references and symbolism throughout. I was very quickly amazed at the thoughtful and positive criticism that I received from the group. Everyone present took a turn offering suggestions, comments and compliments. Once the comments had subsided, I closed the meeting by thanking everyone for their time and letting them know that I would consider their suggestions and offer a final design by the end of May.
The next day, Dr. Gayle Seymour (of UCA) and I presented the design to the Conway Public Art Committee at City Hall—the very site of the mural. This committee was gathered by Mayor Tab Townsell as part of the new Conway Public Art Resolution that has made a clear-cut and transparent approval process of planning, creating and installing public art in the city of Conway. Just as I was pleasantly surprised by the candor of the community meeting the night before, this meeting also surpassed my expectations.
Having created and run a community mural program in Pittsburgh over the past four years, I have had many opportunities to work with that city government and navigate through its approval processes. I have to say that someone in Conway is doing something right. The public art committee made it very clear that they were to represent the citizens of Conway, and wanted to go over the suggestions made at the previous meeting and discuss my plans to accommodate those ideas. The committee members were very kind, bright and organized. We discussed at length (as three of the committee members had attended the previous meeting) all of the suggestions and comments that were brought up at the community meeting. I spoke about my plans to make some of those changes, and reasons why some of the suggestions would not work from a design and content perspective.
We concluded the meeting by agreeing that I would deliver a final design via email to the community group and the public art committee by the end of May. Upon satisfactory receipt of the design, the committee would then present the design to city council along with their endorsement. We would then begin painting in late August.
I wanted to share this story with you so that everyone interested can understand the process that your city officials have made, and to offer my glowing endorsement of it. Thank you all once again for your continued support. I will deliver the final design by the end of May, 2007, and look forward to begin painting by the end of August. I am very excited about this project, and believe that it will be a lasting landmark and source of pride for Conway for many years to come.
Regarding the design changes, following are notes from the Preliminary Design Presentation:
Cloud shapes (meaning in the shapes?)
Question of the tree
Turn the cbc building to see the towers better
Quilt bothers people (looks like a snake chocking her)
Have it flying out behind (or above to take up space in the sky) with her hands holding it
Picture of the child is the focus and takes away from the rest of it
Size needs to be scaled down
Glasses? (tone them down, change the size or shape, seem too goggle-like)
Agreement with the size of the girl drawing you into the mural
Facial expression shows excitement/anticipation of the future
UCA symbol on the shirt is on the wrong side for a monogram
Boy playing with the engine seems like he’s coming out of her leg (change where the quilt is to bring a definite break between the two figures)
Show UCA as a purple stuffed bear being taught by the girl
UCA shown three times and all the other schools only being shown one (is it more important?)
Make the hill go up higher on the left to fill up more of the sky (enlarge the land)
Sky takes up more than half Or move the land up on the right
Is the little girl going to stay as ghostly/undetailed?
(some agree that she should stay out of focus because she seems off in the distance) Turn the baton into a ruler
Make sure to include something (text panel) to explain the meaning behind the mural
If the hand didn’t hold a quilt in the right hand there could be something
Hold a ribbon stick, kite, airplane something that could contain the quilt pattern in it
Bring the land up on the right side and bring the pixilation down into the land
Is happy/uplifting
Putting something in the right hand would take focus away from everything else because it would take up room
Use a clothespin or something to hold the quilt together at her neck
In response to these suggestions, I would just say at this point that all are under consideration. Gene Hatfield made many astute observations at the community meeting—specifically, the comment he made about the snake-like and “choking” nature of the quilt-cape was very helpful, and therefore, I will most definitely re-visit that. The pink glasses…well…I am still considering those comments.
I am also going to finish out some of the children characters. I will add “real” portraits to all of the children’s faces, with the aid of photos taken of Boys and Girls Club of Conway members. The Native American child will also undergo some changes in dress that will make him/her more historically accurate with some helpful research provided by Professor Morales of UCA.
I had a wonderful time in my last visit, and look forward to my stay in Conway this fall. Please watch for a final design by the end of May.
-Morton
