ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Washington muralist Tammy Barnes will design the banners that mark Old Town North as Alexandria's arts and cultural district, after winning a community vote, the Old Town North Alliance announced Saturday.
More than 800 people voted among three finalists, and the alliance said the race was extremely close. Barnes, a muralist, teaching artist and custom sign maker, previously designed six streetlight banners for the Southwest Business Improvement District in Washington. The other finalists were Roxanne Bradley-Tate, an illustrator and art director from Waldorf, Maryland, and Lisa Hall, an artist and illustrator who has lived in the Washington area for more than 20 years.
Barnes describes research as the foundation of her public practice. In her finalist materials, she wrote that the strongest banner series balances the familiar and the unexpected, "celebrating the landmarks people already know, while sparking curiosity about the histories and identities they may not yet know." Her work focuses on place-based art drawn from a community's history, culture, ecology and identity, and she has completed murals and other public art commissions for municipalities, nonprofits and private clients across the Washington region.
Barnes will now develop original designs for the district. The first phase calls for 18 to 20 banners on light poles along the district's main corridors. The project is funded through community sponsorships, a city Business and the Arts Collaborative Invitational Grant and the alliance's own money. The alliance said information on sponsorship opportunities would come soon.
The winner was announced at Chalk-A-Block, the alliance's annual street art festival, held Saturday at Current Tidelock, 1055 N. Fairfax St.
Mayor Alyia Gaskins, Suzanne Bethel of The Art League and alliance President Ryan Whitaker judged the chalk art. Jacelyn Orellana won Best in Show, Anila Angeli of ALine Architecture won the People's Choice award, and Nandini Kirwin won the Youth Award.
The Old Town North Alliance is a nonprofit of residents, businesses and property owners working to carry out the city's plans for the neighborhood, including the arts district.
