Memorandum

City of Lawrence

City Manager’s Office

TO:	City Commissioners
CC:	Tom Markus, City Manager Diane Stoddard, Assistant City Manager
FROM:	Porter Arneill, Director of Arts and Culture
DATE:	May 24, 2016
RE:	Temporary Art Project – RainWorks Stencilry – Hang 12 Arts Students and Lawrence Arts Center

Background

The Lawrence Arts Center is conducting a special week-long summer arts education program June 13 to 17 with students from Hang 12, a curatorial board of high school students in Lawrence that creates monthly gallery shows for Final Friday exhibitions. Local artist Alicia Kelly is the instructor.

Project Description

The program will teach students how to design and create stencils that they can use to apply temporary art and positive messages on the sidewalk in front of the Watkins Museum ― that will only be visible when it’s raining.  The students will use a specialized―and easily removable―“spray paint” that is invisible until it’s wet.  It’s a product of Rainworks: https://rain.works/invisiblespray/

From the Rainworks web site:

• Totally invisible when surface is dry 
  Rainworks Invisible Spray is the only superhydrophobic coating that we have tested that is completely undetectable on a sunny day. You can't see, feel, or smell a difference.
• Eco-Friendly & Biodegradable 
  Once a rainwork is dry, it is completely non-toxic!
• Easily Removable 
  Rainworks do not damage the surface they are on, and they can be easily removed using any earth-friendly cleaning product and a little bit of scrubbing.
• Duration
  Rainworks generally last 2-4 months (though we have seen them last as long as a year under the right conditions). They are most vivid for the first few weeks, and they gradually grow more subtle over time.

Alicia Kelly and Neal Barbour, Director of Youth Education at the Arts Center, presented the project to the Cultural Arts Commission on May 11 and received unanimous approval with the understanding that a Cultural Arts Commission representative will review the content of the stencil work during the class program before anything is applied to the sidewalk.

Staff has reviewed this with Planning and Development Services and recognizes that this is a unique temporary Art Project – RainWorks Stencilry Sign Permit Application.

Staff Recommendation

Staff recommends that the City Commission approve the RainWorks Stencilry temporary art project.