JANESVILLE 鈥 There鈥檚 art in everything, maybe even in vacancy.
In a new effort by downtown 糖心Vlog传媒鈥檚 Business Improvement District, artists are helping Downtown 糖心Vlog传媒 storefronts that are vacant or underused. It鈥檚 called 鈥淲indows of Possibility,鈥 an initiative that puts artwork created by local artists in vacant or underused storefronts.
In an interview, BID board member Lindsey Kennedy said the effort dovetails with some new amenities the downtown is offering, including the new dedicated outdoor refreshment area (DORA), that are aimed at bringing an experience by pedestrians visiting downtown 糖心Vlog传媒.
The move is to enhance aesthetic appeal, but also to leverage space in a subtle way that doesn鈥檛 camouflage the downtown鈥檚 underused storefronts, but instead gives them a unique splash of curb appeal, and through signs near the art, alert people to the possibility of leasing storefront space
It鈥檚 a storefront art initiative similar to ones other cities in the U.S. have rolled out. One such effort in New Haven, Connecticut, called Project Storefronts, has been featured by the federally funded,
In a statement the BID released earlier, Kennedy explains Windows of Possibility:
鈥淓very dark window downtown is a space waiting for its next great idea. 鈥榃indows of Possibility鈥 puts art in those windows so the community can experience downtown in a whole new light, and so future business owners can picture themselves here.鈥
The official rollout is Aug. 15, but several downtown storefronts last week began featuring art through Windows of Possibility. They include these participating locations:
- 121 E. Milwaukee St.
- 113 E. Milwaukee St.
- 15 S. High St.
- 413 W. Milwaukee St.
- 113 W. Milwaukee St.
- 205 N. Main St.
- 56 S. Main St.
The official launch of Windows of Possibility comes with a gallery night and silent auction of the featured artwork on Aug. 15 鈥 although some of the artwork will remain on display in the storefronts until the downtown鈥檚 annual public art celebration, Art Infusion, which runs through September.