AUSTIN,
Texas, Aug. 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The Selection
Committee for the Violet Sky Mural Project is thrilled to announce
the six talented artists who have been selected as finalists for
the highly anticipated Violet Sky Mural Project. This project aims
to transform Violet Sky into a vibrant and inspiring public art
space, celebrating creativity, nature, art, and community, while
leveraging the timeline of the project to build awareness and help
raise funds for the Austin Creative Alliance's efforts to acquire
the historic Hightower Building on San Marcos Street.
The General Manager of the AC Hotel, Charlotte Tyer, shared "The idea for the project
was born in 2022, when team members approached me, requesting that
I paint a mural in the space to give it some color and make it more
inviting. I have a modest background in art, growing up drawing
portraits, figures, and animals. I focused on a Graphic Design
degree for a couple of years at UNT.
"For the hotel's grand opening, I had painted a
landscape at Violet Sky, looking over the hill country views with a
vibrant sunset, giving the team a glimpse of my love of art and
painting. Though the owner, an art enthusiast, was excited about a
new visual installation, it was ultimately decided that the Hotel
General Manager's role should not be painting a wall-
understandably! So, I set out to find the right artist for the job
and turned to the Austin Creative Alliance for guidance and
help.
"Upon meeting with John
Riedie, the Director of the organization, and touring the
historic Hightower Building on San Marcos Street, I set out
planning a buzz-worthy effort to not only seek out top artist
talent in Austin for the Violet
Sky mural, but to leverage the project to engage the local
community and build awareness for the ACA's effort to acquire the
building to further support and enhance the local artist community.
A Call to Artists was launched in May, and thirty-five highly
talented artists submitted applications with portfolio examples and
bios."
**The six finalists are:**
- **Phoebe Joynt** – Born in upstate New York, Phoebe (FeeBee) is a local artist
and designer who received her BA in Communication Design from the
Pratt Institute in New York City. Her urban influences are
brought to life in her art which consists of bright, vibrant
colors, and lots of details with hidden 'Easter Eggs' for viewers
to find. "If it's not weird, positive and fun, why do it?"
@feebee_n_jay
www.phoebejoynt.com
- **Jenna Luecke** – A local artist, Jenna incorporates
influences from 90's pop culture, sci-fi, with themes that focus on
feminism, voting, activism, and the experience of being a Texan. "I
enjoy making artwork that feels vibrant, bedazzled, candy-colored,
with imagery that belongs somewhere between Barbieland and a
psychedelic trip. Personality-wise I'm a bit more reserved, but
color (whether I'm wearing it, painting it, or decorating with it)
is where I have always felt comfortable turning up the volume."
@jennaluecke
www.jennaluecke.com
- **Avery Orendorf** – An Austin-based muralist with a
quirky, fun sense of humor, Avery uses hand-painted and hand-drawn
graphics with a flair of whimsy and strong color combinations,
repeated patterns with layers of landscape to create simple art
pieces with deep story potential. When asked why she was interested
in this project, Avery stated, "It's a beautiful space with the
outside view, under cover. Nice space for people to hang out and I
enjoy working in spaces like that. I have a soft spot for the
Violet Crown area, and the sunsets."
@averyodesign
www.averyodesign.com
- **Gabriel Portillo** – Known as "Paste" where he hails
from in Alpine, Texas, Gabriel
currently calls Austin his home.
The influence for his artworks is driven by his West Texas roots, and he creates both large
scale murals and smaller art panels in a studio. He has a personal
connection with the Austin Creative Alliance, having showcased
artwork for the organization in 2019 and has benefited from the
artist housing assistance program the ACA provides. "When it comes
to creating, always trust your intuition and follow your heart and
your dreams and if you're truly dedicated, there shouldn't be
anything in your way to get there."
@_.paste
www.instagram.com/_.paste
- **Mila Sketch** – Mila Sketch (b.Murmansk,1985) is a highly
celebrated American contemporary artist based in Austin, TX. She is known for her exceptional
creative works that explore the intriguing relationship between
nature and urban development. Mila's diverse portfolio includes
delicate art drawings, large-scale murals, digital video art, NFT,
and Augmented Reality (AR), showcased in various cities across the
globe. "I love public art because it fits my style and I get to
learn about the history of the city and see it all come together.
You can learn a lot from the architecture."
@mila_sketch
www.instagram.com/mila_sketch
- **Candy Yu Yen Kuo** – Born in Taiwan, Candy is a local Austin muralist who incorporates female
portraiture, bright colorways, playful depictions of local flora
and fauna, as well as influences from pop culture and inspirations
from her experiences growing up both overseas and in the Rio Grande
Valley. Candy's career as a muralist really took off at the same
time she became a mother. "It really has been a freaking journey
and Austin has been my home
through all of it and I'm so grateful for all of it and I am so
excited every day that I get to do this."
@itscandykuo
www.itscandykuo.com
**Mural Project Details:**
- **Location:** Violet Sky Rooftop Lounge atop
the AC Hotel Austin Hill Country located at 7415 Southwest Parkway
Bldg 8, Austin, Texas, 78735
- **Timeline:** Finalist TBD by Selection Committee in August after
which time the concept phase will begin. We anticipate the
installation will be completed by October. A final unveiling party
will be held with ticket sales benefiting the Austin Creative
Alliance. A press release will be issued with more details ahead of
the final event.
- **Community Involvement:** Help by Making a Donation to the
Austin Creative Alliance. Endorse our Effort to Own our Building —
Austin Creative Alliance
We invite the community to visit Violet Sky during the installation
process for a sneak peak of the progress made which will be visible
during our operating hours once the work begins. Operating hours
are subject to change and can be found here along with upcoming
events and menus: Violet Sky | Rooftop Lounge in Austin, TX (violetskyaustin.com)
**Quotes:**
"We have our work cut out for us. Deciding on a
finalist will be the most difficult part of this project. We can't
wait to see the transformation of this space by one of these
exceptional artists, and we hope we can help make a difference for
the Austin Creative Alliance by raising awareness. The local artist
community has taken a hit with the ever-increasing high cost of
living in Austin and we want to
help keep it weird here, forever." - Charlotte Tyer, General Manager of AC Hotel
Austin Hill Country and Violet Sky Rooftop Lounge.
"Austin has
always had a vibrant art scene and we are thrilled to become a part
of it, and to support the local artist community alongside ACA. The
number of responses and the quality of the artist submissions were
incredible." – Dwight Curry, Owner
of the AC Hotel Austin Hill Country and Violet Sky Rooftop
Lounge.
**About Austin Creative Alliance and the
Hightower Building Acquisition:**
Austin Creative Alliance (ACA) occupies an
historic former church built in 1916 just East of downtown. In
addition to a beautiful light-filled sanctuary, the property
features a home, and several separate spaces used as studios,
offices and classrooms occupied by a community of nine artists and
three arts non-profits, who serve thousands of Austinites through
their creative work and cultural programming. Austin Creative
Alliance has negotiated a deal with the property's owner to sell at
well below market price in order to keep the historic building
intact, establish critically needed, permanently affordable
live/work spaces for artists, and create a community-centered arts
venue for performances, rehearsals and classes. ACA's acquisition
of the property would have the following immediate impacts:
- Save existing jobs in the arts by avoiding the displacement of
three arts nonprofits and nine working artists
- Exempt the building from property taxes, freeing up the
existing cash flow to address maintenance, renovation and
preservation.
- Bring the currently underutilized 2,000 square foot historic
sanctuary in to use as a desperately needed community arts
space
- Make the property eligible for nonprofit grants and tax credits
(including state and federal historic tax credits and potentially
New Markets TaxCredits) as an historically significant
site.
For more information about the Violet Sky Mural
Project and to stay updated on the progress, please visit
violetskyaustin.com and follow us on Instagram (@violetskytx),
Facebook, and LinkedIn.
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SOURCE Violet Sky Rooftop Lounge