A beige office building in downtown Lawrence will soon get a bold splash of color from young local artists.
Van Go, the arts-based nonprofit that employs and provides social services to Douglas County teens and young adults ages 14 to 24, is planning a mural for the building at 1001 New Hampshire St.
The business inside, GPW & Associates, is “a woman, minority-owned engineering consulting firm,” according to the project’s supporting documentation.
“The services GPW provides to its clients may often go unnoticed by the population at large, but are nonetheless critical for the safety and functionality of a building’s infrastructure,” the mural proposal states.
“The work they are responsible for often goes hidden behind walls. This mural provides an opportunity for Van Go youth to illustrate that work and provide GPW with greater visibility in the downtown community.”
Gina Pacumbaba-Watson, president and CEO, founded GPW in 1998, according to the company’s website.
The mural will be about 10 feet tall by 24 feet wide, painted on six aluminum composite panels and installed on the stucco wall, according to the agenda item.
Rick Wright, art director for Van Go, told the Cultural Arts Commission on Wednesday that the mural could be moved if GPW ever moves from the building. They hope to unveil the mural in May, possibly during the annual Art Tougeau block party.
Nearby business representatives Steve Maceli of Maceli’s Banquet Hall & Catering, Jillian Baer of Sunfire Ceramics, and Jeff Shmalberg of Berkeley Plaza wrote letters in support of the mural, and of the Van Go team’s ability to bring the project to fruition.
The Lawrence Cultural Arts Commission on Wednesday voted unanimously in favor of recommending the Lawrence City Commission approve the work.
Van Go is the creative force behind numerous other murals and works around town, including the “Sustenance” mural at Ninth and Massachusetts streets.
“I love that mural by U.S. Bank,” LCAC member Marlo Angell said. “I mean, that gives me joy every time I walk by, and just going through that alleyway and going to Milton’s — it’s fantastic.”
The project is pending final approval from the city commission, which will likely come as part of a consent agenda — a list of items that are generally considered routine and approved with one motion — in the near future.
Learn more about Van Go on its website, van-go.org.
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Mackenzie Clark (she/her), reporter/founder of The Lawrence Times, can be reached at mclark@lawrencekstimes.com. Read more of her work for the Times here. Check out her staff bio here.
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