Paint the Parking Lot

VB Schools Paint the Parking Lot 2020 & 2021

A Public Art Project Partnership with the Public Schools

After a year of careful planning, nearly foiled by COVID-19 and weeks of inclement weather, 17 new public artworks have been added to the ViBe Creative District in the City of Virginia Beach Parking Lot on 18th Street just west of Cypress Avenue. Modelled after successful parking lot projects around the country, this local effort was a collaboration between Virginia Beach Arts, Virginia Beach Public Schools and the ViBe District nonprofit. The original project outlined an application process for VB art teachers to apply with students input and designs to participate. A City of Virginia Beach parking lot in the district was secured and 17 parking spaces were dedicated to this pilot project, each measuring approximately 9 feet wide by 16 feet deep. Teachers and students were provided a pre-visit PowerPoint encouraging discussion and consideration of the following topics: Community building; Neighborhood (re)development; Public art impact; Authenticity (individualism versus collective); Creativity; Color theory as needed for mixing paint. Originally intended as a family-friendly painting day, the place making project was planned to include all participating teachers, students and families. Due to COVID-19, the final painting was limited to art teachers only on Monday, June 22, 2020. Armed traffic paint, rollers and brushes, a few dozen sun-screened teachers and local artist volunteers painted all 17 artworks in approximately six hours, narrowly finishing before yet another early summer thunderstorm. Sincere thanks to the teachers that volunteered their time to honor their students designs! 

2020 Facebook Photo Album <– click for images

2021 Facebook Photo Album <– click for image

Special Thanks: 

Sincere thanks to the VB Schools Visual Art Coordinators Christopher Buhner and Amber Hester and the dozens of teachers who volunteered their time after the school year to honor their students designs!


Drone photos and video provided by LYFTED MEDIA.

 

Supported By:

This project was supported with grants from the Virginia Beach Arts & Humanities Commission and the Helen G Gifford Foundation.

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Additional thanks to Sherwin Williams for discounting the traffic paint for this project.

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