Waukesha City art panel narrows mural finalists and will consult property owner before final pick

A Waukesha City art-selection panel narrowed six top mural submissions to three finalists and agreed to consult the property owner — referred to in the meeting as Thomas Press — before selecting a final artist.

The decision came after about 40 minutes of review and discussion at the panel meeting, during which members evaluated artistic style, site constraints (windows, signage and snow removal), and public-facing considerations such as imagery recognition and cultural representation. "It's gotten some really good press," Committee member (Speaker 4) said of the leading proposal, noting an additional artist is preparing complementary window panels and that the presenter had suggested "footsteps coming up from the river."

Panel members repeatedly flagged practical concerns that could affect the final design. Staff member (Speaker 1) warned that parts of the design might need to be adjusted around building features and that the panel would "need to check with Thomas Press to see what their feelings are with their building in terms of layout, and size." Committee members raised questions about image rights for depictions of recognizable people (one proposal referenced historical figures and a possible Les Paul image), snow clearance around low-mounted sculptures, and potential vandalism or bird nesting on three-dimensional pieces.

The panel discussed specific stylistic trade-offs when evaluating submissions. Several members favored a nature- and river-themed design described as a "meadow and river" concept and suggested swapping certain fauna — for example, replacing a badger with a fox — to better reflect downtown wildlife and visitor expectations. One panelist noted the appeal of selecting a local artist: "I think it's cool that James is a Waukesha resident," Committee member (Speaker 3) said when the top-ranked artist's local ties were raised.

Rather than select a final artist immediately, the panel narrowed the list to three finalists and authorized staff to contact the property owner and the selected artists to discuss possible revisions, placement constraints and permissions. Staff also said it would poll members to schedule a follow-up meeting in roughly two to three weeks and would coordinate a meeting with the property owner and the artists. Staff noted a new city staff person "starts June 30," which may affect scheduling.

The panel closed with brief housekeeping: a staff report noting additional positive public feedback about an existing alley mural and a motion to adjourn, which the panel approved at 05:44 p.m.

Next procedural steps: staff will contact Thomas Press (the property owner named in the meeting), request permissions for wall coverage and placement, ask the three finalist artists for site-adjusted proposals, and circulate dates for a follow-up meeting to pick a final design.