The Western Avenue Association is planning to enhance the community along its district’s corridor by commissioning local artists to create murals at five different sites. The participating artists have been vetted by the Association’s Selection Committee and chosen based on established criteria.



1. 3704 N. Western
http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/3704mural.jpg
http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/3704site.jpg



2. 4200 N. Western
http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/4200mural.jpg
http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/4200site.jpg



3. 4416 N. Western
http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/4416mural.jpg
http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/4416site.jpg



4. 4616 N. Western
http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/4616mural.jpg
http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/4616site.jpg



5. 5600 N. Western
http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/5600mural.jpg
http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/5600site.jpg

when will this be done?

I presume they'll all be finished before the silo art project though.

Going for approval from the Arts Commission next week, then it should be clear sailing.

I am all for murals however the oldies theme seems very out of place and dated compared to the other artist proposals. Love the idea, but that one seems dated already!

Yassss!

Glad to see this! This city needs more murals!

when will this be done?

I presume they'll all be finished before the silo art project though.

My bet's on the silo never being finished......not in the next 5 years at least.

I still think items 4 and 5 are completely unoriginal. Item 4 is practically a carbon copy of the art along the tracks on EK Gaylord and item 5 is stock photo someone paid for off of Veer.com. I can't believe someone would use a stock photo and pitch it as art. The first 3 should come out great, but I hope the powers that be approve each one individually.

for reference: http://marketplace.veer.com/stock-photo/Woman-falling-on-a-banana-ISP2099147?slot=11&pg=1&skeywords=woman%20falling%20banana

Ben Felder of the Gazette:

irfoQgLHJc4

I really like the second one.

How is this okay???? This is infuriating. That woman sounds like a real piece of work. This city needs more art, not less.

https://nondoc.com/2017/01/24/western-avenue-mural-painted-over/

How is this okay???? This is infuriating. That woman sounds like a real piece of work. This city needs more art, not less.

https://nondoc.com/2017/01/24/western-avenue-mural-painted-over/

No joke. One would think someone in the advertising business would know how to respond with a bit of tact.

I'm sure they are going to pay a big price in terms of lost business.

I'm sure they are going to pay a big price in terms of lost business.
This. Based on the company website, their style is not my taste. That is putting it nicely.

Ah, geeze.

Most murals, even the ugly and bad ones, tend to add a lot of "flavor" not just to a building, but to its immediate area as well. I suppose she and her landlord reserved the right to do this, but her response was less than... professional? I'm not sure how to word it.

That woman comes across as an asshole. She should have had handled this in a completely different manner.

Wow..bad move on her part. it may be hard for her to find another artist to paint another mural...

I wish she would stop beating around the bush and tell us what she really thinks.

. . .may karma give her what she so richly deserves. . .

Just to make it easier for karma to find her, or for people to know to avoid her, her name is Jen Hutchings and her company is Alotta Action advertising (http://alottaaction.com). Not "outing" her, just taking information from the posted article. :)

I think her website is ugly. We should paint over it.

Statement from Jennifer Hutchings, Alotta Action Advertising

It came as news to me that the northern wall of the property I have leased at 4616 N. Western had been painted red. I was aware that the front of the building was being painted red and the roof black, and had discussed this work with my landlord. The painting of the northern wall caught me by surprise, as did the phone call I received about it from the media.

My business, Alotta Action Advertising, has been located in the historic Paseo Arts District for the past six years. When it was time for me to expand, I chose an area with a similar, artsy vibe. I’ve supported the arts for years and will continue to do so. My appreciation for the arts and my respect for artists run deep.

As I mentioned, my business is advertising. It turns out, though, that I may not always be the best PR person, and I certainly was not in this instance. I tend to voice my opinions honestly and say what I think in the moment. I am truly sorry I referred to Mr. Palmer’s mural as ugly. It wasn’t my taste, and I realize now that that was not the point.

Plans are underway to paint a new image on the building, and we will begin that process by applying for appropriate permits and submitting our design for approval. When it is time to paint, our intention is to reach out to high school art clubs in the neighborhood and give some young artists an opportunity to work on a piece of public art.

Sincerely,
Jen Hutchings

It will probably be something ugly.

I'm surprised she found the time on vacation to come up with a statement.

And yes her website is a little lame.

things are not going to go well for her.

She needed to take more time and actually think about what she was saying before the words came out...as a result she will likely not recover from this. Tough way to learn a lesson.

Statement from Jennifer Hutchings, Alotta Action Advertising

It came as news to me that the northern wall of the property I have leased at 4616 N. Western had been painted red. I was aware that the front of the building was being painted red and the roof black, and had discussed this work with my landlord. The painting of the northern wall caught me by surprise, as did the phone call I received about it from the media.

...

Plans are underway to paint a new image on the building, and we will begin that process by applying for appropriate permits and submitting our design for approval. When it is time to paint, our intention is to reach out to high school art clubs in the neighborhood and give some young artists an opportunity to work on a piece of public art.

Sincerely,
Jen Hutchings

Does it seem odd to anyone else that it was a "surprise" to her, but she already has a "plans underway" to replace it and how?

Also, did they not have to apply for the permits and design review to paint it all red in the first place?

The area of town does not fall within any design review committee.

Mural plans have to go through an approval process because it's art and very similar to a sign, but that's a city-wide thing.

A huge part of OKC does not require any review of changes to external elements, other than signs.

The area of town does not fall within any design review committee.

Mural plans have to go through an approval process because it's art and very similar to a sign, but that's a city-wide thing.

A huge part of OKC does not require any review of changes to external elements, other than signs.

Thanks. I assumed that western ave would be an area with a design review committee. Interesting.

So approval is needed to paint the mural/sign, but not to remove it?

Does it seem odd to anyone else that it was a "surprise" to her, but she already has a "plans underway" to replace it and how?

Yeah, that is because she's lying.

Does it seem odd to anyone else that it was a "surprise" to her, but she already has a "plans underway" to replace it and how?

Also, did they not have to apply for the permits and design review to paint it all red in the first place?

Her statement seems to indicate it was *not* a surprise to her, as hoya said:

“That mural was ugly, and we are going to put a new mural on it,” Hutchings said by phone Monday.

Statement from Jennifer Hutchings, Alotta Action Advertising

It came as news to me that the northern wall of the property I have leased at 4616 N. Western had been painted red. I was aware that the front of the building was being painted red and the roof black, and had discussed this work with my landlord. The painting of the northern wall caught me by surprise, as did the phone call I received about it from the media.

My business, Alotta Action Advertising, has been located in the historic Paseo Arts District for the past six years. When it was time for me to expand, I chose an area with a similar, artsy vibe. I’ve supported the arts for years and will continue to do so. My appreciation for the arts and my respect for artists run deep.

As I mentioned, my business is advertising. It turns out, though, that I may not always be the best PR person, and I certainly was not in this instance. I tend to voice my opinions honestly and say what I think in the moment. I am truly sorry I referred to Mr. Palmer’s mural as ugly. It wasn’t my taste, and I realize now that that was not the point.

Plans are underway to paint a new image on the building, and we will begin that process by applying for appropriate permits and submitting our design for approval. When it is time to paint, our intention is to reach out to high school art clubs in the neighborhood and give some young artists an opportunity to work on a piece of public art.

Sincerely,
Jen Hutchings

Trading an international acclaimed artist for high school art clubs.....SMDH

I'm sure the price is very compelling for her.

The permit process for Alotta Action's mural project must be grueling. It's been over two years since it was announced and the wall is still bright red. At least the wall is usually covered by about ten green dumpsters from Junk Boss.