photo by: Bremen Keasey

A section of the new mural from Van Go being painted at its office, located at 715 New Jersey St. The artists hope it can be installed in downtown Lawrence in late May.

photo by: Contributed

A rendering of the final design for a mural created by Van Go that will be installed at 1001 New Hampshire St. in downtown Lawrence. The nonprofit hopes the mural will be installed in late May.

Downtown Lawrence will be adorned with some more public art, courtesy of a unique mural from artists with the local nonprofit Van Go.

The Cultural Arts Commission unanimously approved Wednesday night the designs for a mural that will be installed adjacent to the entrance for the offices of local engineering consulting firm GPW & Associates, located at 1001 New Hampshire St.

Although the City Commission will still need to provide final approval, Paige Robinson, the Community Engagement Director for Van Go, said 12 artists, aged from 18-24, are already working on the mural.

Robinson said that GPW & Associates first reached out to the nonprofit with the idea of putting the mural on the wall. The engineering firm privately commissioned the artwork, meaning there will be no cost for the city.

Unlike other murals, where the paint is applied directly onto the wall, the artwork will consist of six aluminum panels that will be painted beforehand and installed onto the wall once it is ready. Robinson said that process makes it easier for the nonprofit logistically to handle it in house; the young artists Van Go hires can be all in one place and they are not at the whims of the “unpredictable Kansas weather” for finishing the project.

“Handling that in our facility keeps us on a strict time constraint as we’re teaching these young artists how to manage their plans,” Robinson said.

Another aspect that made this project unique was that the artists had a lot of input in the design process, Robinson said. The team of artists will work with GPW & Associates “from inception to completion,” including meeting with the client about design ideas that aimed to highlight the fact it was a women and minority-owned engineering firm and provide vibrant colors to the space.

Robinson said the collaboration was great for the artworks, with the firm letting the artists’ creative voice shine. She said the whole project was a perfect way to “see their artwork come to life”

“They’re not just the labor here, they are running the show,” Robinson said.

While the installation of the mural will still need a final say from the City Commission, Robinson said as long as everything goes to plan, the goal is to install the mural by the end of May, which will hopefully be coinciding with the Art Tougeau and Final Friday events planned for the downtown area.