Stow Arts Committee approves community mosaic mural using city lettering

The Stow City Arts Committee voted to create a community mural this summer made from painted tiles assembled into the word STOW and approved distribution of tile kits at city pop-up events.

Committee members said the mural will be made from individually painted canvas tiles that residents will return for assembly into a larger, transportable mural. The committee set a timeline to have kits ready for the first park pop-up on June 17 and discussed a public unveiling at the city’s Summer Sunset Blast at the end of August.

Members emphasized they need to finalize the mural image, pixelate it for tile mapping, and calculate the number and colors of tiles before ordering supplies. Committee members agreed to a series of preparatory steps: decide the final image, determine tile size and quantity, label tiles for tracking, and arrange paint kits for distribution at pop-ups and other outreach locations such as the farmers market. A working session was set for June 3 to assemble tiles and verify inventory.

The committee assigned coordination tasks to members to pull together tile specifications and links to suppliers. Participants said they will number tiles on the backs to track returns and paint quick filler tiles for missing pieces if needed. The committee also discussed giving toddlers single-color tiles at pop-ups and allowing participants to sign or label returned tiles, subject to a review to ensure returned artwork is not objectionable.

Logistics discussed included kit contents (small paint pots, brushes, three shades of key colors), transportable panel construction for final assembly, and outreach/marketing assets such as a short how-to video and social hashtags. The committee recommended working with city marketing to produce a brief tutorial video and to post graphics for the program.

The motion to create the mural using the city-lettering image was approved by the committee; the motion and vote were recorded during the meeting but the transcript did not identify the mover or seconder by name. Members instructed the coordinating subgroup to provide tile counts, color palettes and size recommendations by May 28 and to have orders placed so kits are available by early June.

Next steps identified were: select and pixelate the final image; finalize tile size, numbers and palette; order tiles and paint supplies; plan kit distribution schedule for June pop-ups and the farmers market; and prepare publicity and an assembly plan for the mural reveal.