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OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

Public Art Committee Meeting - August 4, 2026

Public Meetings — Tuesday, August 4, 2026

BodyWaukesha, Wisconsin

SessionPublic Meetings

DateTuesday, August 4, 2026

StatusFILED

Video Record

0:00 / 27:15

Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it

0:00

Okay.

0:01

Okay, alright.

0:04

Uh good evening.

0:05

Today is Tuesday, uh, August 4th.

0:07

I'd like to call the public arts committee meeting to order.

0:11

Uh I see for a roll call, we have an entire committee except for Gwenda.

0:15

Um I don't see any members of the public.

0:21

So we'll move forward to approval of minutes.

0:24

Is there someone that would approve the minutes for June 16th?

0:27

So moved.

0:28

Okay.

0:29

So I'll make the motion to approve the minutes, and you can second things.

0:33

Oh, okay.

0:35

Uh all in flavor, please say aye.

0:39

So we'll move on.

0:39

Oh, that's a passes unanimously, unanimously.

0:42

We'll move on to new business.

0:44

We've got item 04097 review and possible action on the final artist selection for the Thomas Press building on Freedm Alley.

0:52

And we'll pass the meeting to Megan and she can tell us what she's got.

0:55

Fantastic.

0:56

Thank you.

0:58

Okay, so we will start with the Thomas Press mural.

1:01

Um at the last public art meeting, we narrowed down to three finalists just to remind you who those were.

1:07

Um James Barraine with a kind of historical motif across the entirety of the facade.

1:16

Our second place was Jenna Brown Lee with a flowers and animal theme.

1:26

And third was Molly Keene with a structural um design.

1:34

Kind of more of a sculpture.

1:37

And since that meeting, we have spoken with the property owner at Thomas Press, and he expressed that he's really interested in seeing the historical motif on his building.

1:50

Um so we spoke a few more times with James Boray, who proposed this design.

1:58

And in those conversations, we've had a few clarifications from the building owner as well as some kind of artistic conversations with James and a few updates to highlight is the property owner is interested in covering the entire facade.

2:16

Um this includes the garage door as well as the windows.

2:22

So the thought would be enamel paint on the garage door and then a printed vinyl on all of the windows.

2:30

Um we're still working out what exactly the front door would have on it, um, just so it doesn't get completely lost and customers aren't sure where to enter.

2:40

Um so that's still sort of a conversation.

2:44

Um but yeah, he's interested in kind of covering the whole wall and also removing the Thomas Press sign that was formerly um on the right hand side of his um of this facade.

2:56

He um would like that to be removed, and then there was also a municipally owned um street light that was mounted on the building, and that also had been requested to be removed and has since been removed.

3:09

Um the artist also was interested in making some composition um changes.

3:14

Um so the first is uh we've had approval from the Les Paul Foundation um to use his likeness in the center of the mural.

3:24

And then um they also thought it might be appropriate to pay homage to the printing history of the building and add in the um the printing motif towards the right-hand side of the mural.

3:37

That's only fair.

3:38

And I have some close-ups so you can see more of the detail.

3:43

So the yellow outline is where the door is, and then you can I don't know if you can see from your angle, but all of the windows are slightly shadowed.

3:52

Um so the idea would be that the artist would paint kind of around the frame and it would look continuous, but the window itself would be printed vinyl.

4:01

And then again, they're not quite sure what they would do with the door yet, um, but the artist tried to kind of have less um crucial imagery in that space while they're having more conversations with the building owner.

4:16

Did they still get light inside?

4:18

Yes.

4:18

So the vinyl would be similar to what they have on like the side of a bus window.

4:22

Okay, where you can see in and out, um, but from afar it looks kind of solid with the design.

4:30

Well, that's supportive.

4:34

Yeah.

4:34

Yeah, so this is um one end of the mural, and this end is mostly unchanged from the initial proposal.

4:42

Um, but I think you can kind of see the shadow of the garage door from this angle.

4:49

Before you can see the windows if you'll look more.

4:52

Yeah.

4:55

Um, I missed you know the meeting when you guys were selecting these.

5:00

Or is he doing some kind of photographic technique?

5:03

Is he actually painting?

5:04

Repainted.

5:05

Okay.

5:05

He's very photo realistically he's painted.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Arts And Culture█████████████████████████████████████████████66%

Public Works██████████14%

Procedural████████12%

Public Engagement███4%

Parks and Recreation███4%

Summary of Proceedings

Public Art Committee Meeting - August 4, 2026

The Public Art Committee of Waukesha met on August 4, 2026, at 5:00 PM in the Training Room of City Hall. The committee discussed and acted on two new business items: final artist selection for a mural on the Thomas Press building in Friedman Alley and an additional mural in the same alley. Communications covered a proposed transit center mural project and the future of the Richard Taylor sculpture at the transit center. The meeting was chaired by the committee president (Gwenda was absent).

Consent Calendar

Approval of Minutes: The minutes from the June 16, 2026, meeting were approved unanimously by voice vote.

Public Comments & Testimony

No members of the public were present; no public comments were made.

Discussion Items

Final Artist Selection for Thomas Press Building Mural (ID#26-04097): Megan presented the selection process. Three finalists had been previously narrowed: James Barraine (historical motif), Jenna Brown Lee (flowers/animals), and Molly Keene (structural design). The property owner preferred the historical motif. Since the last meeting, staff worked with James Barraine to refine the design. Updates included: covering the entire facade (enamel paint on garage door, printed vinyl on windows), removal of the Thomas Press sign and a municipally owned street light, and approval from the Les Paul Foundation to use Les Paul's likeness in the center. The artist added a printing motif referencing the building's history. Committee members discussed the design, particularly the children on the left end (some felt the faces looked distorted) and the treatment of the door. Suggestions included keeping the door distinct (maybe black and white) or leaving it as a plain door. The committee ultimately voted to endorse the building owner's preference to hire James Barraine for the mural, with the understanding that design suggestions were non-binding.
Additional Mural in Friedman Alley (ID#26-04098): Megan proposed a mural continuation of the existing fox painting on the adjacent facade. The artist (original fox muralist) created a larger composition featuring a fox family. Committee members expressed interest but noted the scale and budget concerns. Some suggested reducing the size (e.g., smaller baby foxes, only one adult fox). Others proposed revisiting other proposals from the original artist pool rather than proceeding with the fox theme. The consensus was to explore other options from the original artists once the remaining budget is clearer, rather than sending out a new call for proposals.
Staff Report:
- Transit Center Murals: The transit center expressed interest in murals in the bus waiting area. Staff will issue an RFP and bring responses to the committee for selection. The transit center is approaching its 50th anniversary, so celebrating that history was suggested.
- Richard Taylor Sculpture: The sculpture at the transit center (originally designed as a fountain) has had issues with water and stones being thrown. Staff recommended consulting with the artist Richard Taylor about rethinking the placement, redesigning the base, or converting the area into a garden bed with seating. The committee supported this approach, noting that the sculpture was the committee's first project and that Taylor originally envisioned a sister piece. Some members suggested moving the sculpture to a pond or other location, subject to cost.

Key Outcomes

Mural for Thomas Press Building: The committee unanimously voted to endorse the building owner's preference to hire James Barraine for the mural. The final design will incorporate the Les Paul likeness and printing motif; the committee's design suggestions (e.g., door treatment, children's faces) will be passed to the artist as advisory.
Additional Friedman Alley Mural: No formal vote was taken. The committee directed staff to revisit other artist proposals from the original pool for the remaining facade, pending budget availability.
Transit Center Projects: Staff will proceed with an RFP for transit center murals and will initiate a conversation with Richard Taylor regarding the sculpture's future.
Next Meeting: The committee tentatively decided to skip the September meeting, pending receipt of RFP responses, and will set a future date as needed.

Meeting Transcript

Okay. Okay, alright. Uh good evening. Today is Tuesday, uh, August 4th. I'd like to call the public arts committee meeting to order. Uh I see for a roll call, we have an entire committee except for Gwenda. Um I don't see any members of the public. So we'll move forward to approval of minutes. Is there someone that would approve the minutes for June 16th? So moved. Okay. So I'll make the motion to approve the minutes, and you can second things. Oh, okay. Uh all in flavor, please say aye. So we'll move on. Oh, that's a passes unanimously, unanimously. We'll move on to new business. We've got item 04097 review and possible action on the final artist selection for the Thomas Press building on Freedm Alley. And we'll pass the meeting to Megan and she can tell us what she's got. Fantastic. Thank you. Okay, so we will start with the Thomas Press mural. Um at the last public art meeting, we narrowed down to three finalists just to remind you who those were. Um James Barraine with a kind of historical motif across the entirety of the facade. Our second place was Jenna Brown Lee with a flowers and animal theme. And third was Molly Keene with a structural um design. Kind of more of a sculpture. And since that meeting, we have spoken with the property owner at Thomas Press, and he expressed that he's really interested in seeing the historical motif on his building. Um so we spoke a few more times with James Boray, who proposed this design. And in those conversations, we've had a few clarifications from the building owner as well as some kind of artistic conversations with James and a few updates to highlight is the property owner is interested in covering the entire facade. Um this includes the garage door as well as the windows. So the thought would be enamel paint on the garage door and then a printed vinyl on all of the windows. Um we're still working out what exactly the front door would have on it, um, just so it doesn't get completely lost and customers aren't sure where to enter. Um so that's still sort of a conversation. Um but yeah, he's interested in kind of covering the whole wall and also removing the Thomas Press sign that was formerly um on the right hand side of his um of this facade. He um would like that to be removed, and then there was also a municipally owned um street light that was mounted on the building, and that also had been requested to be removed and has since been removed. Um the artist also was interested in making some composition um changes. Um so the first is uh we've had approval from the Les Paul Foundation um to use his likeness in the center of the mural. And then um they also thought it might be appropriate to pay homage to the printing history of the building and add in the um the printing motif towards the right-hand side of the mural. That's only fair. And I have some close-ups so you can see more of the detail. So the yellow outline is where the door is, and then you can I don't know if you can see from your angle, but all of the windows are slightly shadowed. Um so the idea would be that the artist would paint kind of around the frame and it would look continuous, but the window itself would be printed vinyl. And then again, they're not quite sure what they would do with the door yet, um, but the artist tried to kind of have less um crucial imagery in that space while they're having more conversations with the building owner. Did they still get light inside? Yes. So the vinyl would be similar to what they have on like the side of a bus window. Okay, where you can see in and out, um, but from afar it looks kind of solid with the design. Well, that's supportive. Yeah.

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