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ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Three artists are in the running to design the banners that will mark Old Town North as an arts district, and the neighborhood gets to pick.
The Old Town North Alliance board selected the finalists from a field it described as strong: more than 50 artists and designers expressed interest, with outreach help from The Art League, the Alexandria Arts Alliance and Mayor Alyia Gaskins's Art in Every Space initiative.
The finalists are Tammy Barnes, a muralist, teaching artist and custom sign maker based in Washington; Roxanne Bradley-Tate, an illustrator, graphic designer and art director in Waldorf, Maryland, who lived in Alexandria for a decade; and Lisa Hall, an artist, illustrator and marketing specialist who has been a Washington-area resident for more than 20 years.
Each brings relevant work. Barnes designed six streetlight banners for the Southwest Business Improvement District in Washington celebrating that neighborhood's identity, and her portfolio runs to murals and public art commissions across the region. Bradley-Tate works in architectural illustration, environmental graphics and visual identity systems. Hall's projects include utility box wraps, children's book illustration and murals, and she works part time as a marketing specialist for the developer EYA on Alexandria properties including Robinson Landing, The Oronoco and Old Town Commons.
The alliance cautions that the work samples posted with each finalist are meant to show style and approach, not to preview finished banners. Voters should note the samples are not uniform in that respect: Barnes and Bradley-Tate submitted previous work from other places, while Hall's packet includes mockups using Old Town North Arts and Cultural District branding.
Voting is open online through noon Saturday, Sept. 19. The winner will be announced later that day at Chalk-A-Block, the alliance's street-art festival, between 1 and 2 p.m. at Current Tidelock, 1055 N. Fairfax St. The festival runs 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. with chalk art, live music, local makers, food and a community art project, and has a rain date of Sept. 20.
The winning artist will then develop original designs for the district. The first phase calls for 18 to 20 banners on light poles along the district's main corridors, meant to give the arts district a recognizable look.
The project is paid for through community sponsorships, a city grant from the Business and the Arts Collaborative Invitational Grant program, and the alliance's own funds.
The Old Town North Alliance is a nonprofit of residents, businesses and property owners working to carry out the city's vision for the neighborhood, including the arts district and the planned Linear Park.
