COPA approves 14 banner images for Leesburg Arts & Cultural District

The Leesburg Commission on Public Art approved 14 images to replace downtown yellow banners in the Arts & Cultural District after reviewing 54 submissions.

Commission members collectively marked up initial rounds of selections and used initials to indicate preferred images; staff will map final placements and coordinate installation with Public Works. The selected images will be produced as vertical banners roughly 1 by 2 feet in size for display across the district.

Why it matters: The banners are a visible downtown public-art project that the town deploys in the Arts & Cultural District. The selection determines which local artists' work will be shown publicly and which artists may be invited to participate in a related show.

Commission members discussed image legibility when banners are viewed from the street and whether an image's subject must be strictly inside the town limits. Several members emphasized variety in subject matter and representation of local character. Staff confirmed they had communicated with several artists about vertical formatting and that artists could provide higher-resolution images as needed.

A motion to accept the panel of 14 submissions was made, seconded and approved. Public Works will be asked to hang the banners in the designated Arts & Cultural District locations; staff will produce a map and order the physical banners. Members agreed the accepted images will be cataloged on a shared drive so commissioners can view digital files and artist contact information.

The commission also discussed whether images should include artist names and how to handle sales of pieces that later appear in a gallery show. Staff said artists who win banner placement will be contacted about reproduction and display logistics.

Next steps: staff will finalize the order, map banner placements with Public Works, and prepare crediting information and installation instructions.