The Garden City Telegram

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Differences emerge among 'Paint the Town' partners

Published 2/11/2012 in Local News

By SHAJIA AHMAD

sahmad@gctelegram.com

A popular Main Street-centered project, "Paint the Town for the Holidays," has caused some consternation among the partners involved.

The endeavor that started in 2010 is an award-winning partnership between Downtown Vision and dozens of students and their art instructors belonging to the Garden City High School Art Club. But representatives of both parties recently have expressed different ideas about their plans for this upcoming Christmas season.

In recent years, the students have taken to Main Street to paint storefront windows with holiday scenes featuring winter themes at participating businesses, both those belonging to the Downtown Vision group and those that are not members.

The art teachers who lead the students said this upcoming November, the club would like to focus on the core business district of Main Street and not venture off to some outlying business as they've sometimes done in the past. In addition, they'd like to paint as many business — both Downtown Vision members and non-members alike — as possible, as well.

"What the art club is trying to focus on is keeping to downtown and celebrating downtown business," Roy Cessna, an information officer with USD 457, said Friday. "There's some Downtown Vision members that are not a part of the core business district, and I think what the art club wants to do is promote the great things that are happening downtown ... It's also a great way to show off the kids' artwork as you travel down Main."

Danielle Falor and Andrea Kirchoff, art teachers at the high school, agreed with Cessna.

The pair of art teachers said Friday that students previously have spent three school days each November working on the window art, and some of that time has been dedicated to businesses outside the Main Street district area, a move that makes it challenging to supervise the students and will no longer be done.

Falor added that details for the next academic year still are being hammered out, but their intention is to get to as many downtown businesses as possible.

"What we've done in the past has not been a burden on our kids," Falor said, adding that in years past the young artists have tried to get to as many businesses in and around Main as possible.

Beverly Glass, executive director of Downtown Vision, said on Friday the art club and faculty advisors' plans to paint all downtown business store windows rather than the group's members only was news to her.

Glass said she agreed with the club representatives that the project should be contained to only businesses in the core downtown district and not in other parts of the town, as the art instructors intend to do, but that she would do her best to convince them to stick with the original intent of the project: decorating the fronts of member shops and offices with holiday-themed images not only as a perk to members but also as an incentive to drive membership into the group.

"That's not their decision to make," Glass said Friday, referring to the group's intentions to hit up as many storefronts as possible.

"This is a Downtown Vision project. I understand they mean well and want to do everybody's (storefronts), for the common good ... but it would seriously undermine our relationship," Glass added.

In a letter dated Jan. 20 to Downtown Vision members participating in the Paint the Town project, Glass said the project gives the central business district "added fun, reflects the spirit of the holidays," and "featured a positive image of two segments of Garden City working together for the greater good."

The Vision director also said that while some art students may have received donations from Main Street retailers for their hard work, the Vision group neither receives nor gives money to or from the artists.

At least 65 businesses participated in the Paint the Town Project in 2010 with paint and brushes donated by many area paint and home improvement stores.

Last November, the students painted at least 72 businesses, indicating some spike in interest from downtown merchants to have their storefronts painted with holiday colors for the spirited season.

What's more, the creative work of the students was recognized on a state level. The Paint the Town project won an Excellence in Public/Private Partnerships award from the Kansas Main Street program in October. The award is given in recognition of an outstanding local partnership between Main Street and another organization.

At least 23 art students painted holiday scenes and festive borders to add to downtown's Christmas spirit last November.

According to Downtown Vision, the core business area includes Main Street, from Cedar Street to Depot Street; portions of Seventh Street, Eighth Street and Ninth Street that are parallel to Main; and intersecting streets including sections of Garden City Avenue, Spruce Street, Pine Street, Chestnut Street, Fulton Street, and Grant Avenue, all to the east and west of Main Street.

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