AUSTIN, Texas, Aug. 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — The Selection Committee for the Violet Sky Mural Project is thrilled to announce the six talented artists who have been selected as finalists for the highly anticipated Violet Sky Mural Project. This project aims to transform Violet Sky into a vibrant and inspiring public art space, celebrating creativity, nature, art, and community, while leveraging the timeline of the project to build awareness and help raise funds for the Austin Creative Alliance’s efforts to acquire the historic Hightower Building on San Marcos Street.

The General Manager of the AC Hotel, Charlotte Tyer, shared “The idea for the project was born in 2022, when team members approached me, requesting that I paint a mural in the space to give it some color and make it more inviting. I have a modest background in art, growing up drawing portraits, figures, and animals. I focused on a Graphic Design degree for a couple of years at UNT.

“For the hotel’s grand opening, I had painted a landscape at Violet Sky, looking over the hill country views with a vibrant sunset, giving the team a glimpse of my love of art and painting. Though the owner, an art enthusiast, was excited about a new visual installation, it was ultimately decided that the Hotel General Manager’s role should not be painting a wall- understandably! So, I set out to find the right artist for the job and turned to the Austin Creative Alliance for guidance and help.

“Upon meeting with John Riedie, the Director of the organization, and touring the historic Hightower Building on San Marcos Street, I set out planning a buzz-worthy effort to not only seek out top artist talent in Austin for the Violet Sky mural, but to leverage the project to engage the local community and build awareness for the ACA’s effort to acquire the building to further support and enhance the local artist community. A Call to Artists was launched in May, and thirty-five highly talented artists submitted applications with portfolio examples and bios.”

**The six finalists are:**

1. **Phoebe Joynt** – Born in upstate New York, Phoebe (FeeBee) is a local artist and designer who received her BA in Communication Design from the Pratt Institute in New York City. Her urban influences are brought to life in her art which consists of bright, vibrant colors, and lots of details with hidden ‘Easter Eggs’ for viewers to find. “If it’s not weird, positive and fun, why do it?”
   @feebee_n_jay
   www.phoebejoynt.com
2. **Jenna Luecke** – A local artist, Jenna incorporates influences from 90’s pop culture, sci-fi, with themes that focus on feminism, voting, activism, and the experience of being a Texan. “I enjoy making artwork that feels vibrant, bedazzled, candy-colored, with imagery that belongs somewhere between Barbieland and a psychedelic trip. Personality-wise I’m a bit more reserved, but color (whether I’m wearing it, painting it, or decorating with it) is where I have always felt comfortable turning up the volume.”
   @jennaluecke
   www.jennaluecke.com
3. **Avery Orendorf** – An Austin-based muralist with a quirky, fun sense of humor, Avery uses hand-painted and hand-drawn graphics with a flair of whimsy and strong color combinations, repeated patterns with layers of landscape to create simple art pieces with deep story potential. When asked why she was interested in this project, Avery stated, “It’s a beautiful space with the outside view, under cover. Nice space for people to hang out and I enjoy working in spaces like that. I have a soft spot for the Violet Crown area, and the sunsets.”
   @averyodesign
   www.averyodesign.com
4. **Gabriel Portillo** – Known as “Paste” where he hails from in Alpine, Texas, Gabriel currently calls Austin his home. The influence for his artworks is driven by his West Texas roots, and he creates both large scale murals and smaller art panels in a studio. He has a personal connection with the Austin Creative Alliance, having showcased artwork for the organization in 2019 and has benefited from the artist housing assistance program the ACA provides. “When it comes to creating, always trust your intuition and follow your heart and your dreams and if you’re truly dedicated, there shouldn’t be anything in your way to get there.”
   @_.paste
   www.instagram.com/_.paste
5. **Mila Sketch** – Mila Sketch (b.Murmansk,1985) is a highly celebrated American contemporary artist based in Austin, TX. She is known for her exceptional creative works that explore the intriguing relationship between nature and urban development. Mila’s diverse portfolio includes delicate art drawings, large-scale murals, digital video art, NFT, and Augmented Reality (AR), showcased in various cities across the globe. “I love public art because it fits my style and I get to learn about the history of the city and see it all come together. You can learn a lot from the architecture.”
   @mila_sketch
   www.instagram.com/mila_sketch
6. **Candy Yu Yen Kuo** – Born in Taiwan, Candy is a local Austin muralist who incorporates female portraiture, bright colorways, playful depictions of local flora and fauna, as well as influences from pop culture and inspirations from her experiences growing up both overseas and in the Rio Grande Valley. Candy’s career as a muralist really took off at the same time she became a mother. “It really has been a freaking journey and Austin has been my home through all of it and I’m so grateful for all of it and I am so excited every day that I get to do this.”
   @itscandykuo
   www.itscandykuo.com

**Mural Project Details:**

– **Location:** Violet Sky Rooftop Lounge atop the AC Hotel Austin Hill Country located at 7415 Southwest Parkway Bldg 8, Austin, Texas, 78735
– **Timeline:** Finalist TBD by Selection Committee in August after which time the concept phase will begin. We anticipate the installation will be completed by October. A final unveiling party will be held with ticket sales benefiting the Austin Creative Alliance. A press release will be issued with more details ahead of the final event.
– **Community Involvement:** Help by Making a Donation to the Austin Creative Alliance. Endorse our Effort to Own our Building — Austin Creative Alliance
We invite the community to visit Violet Sky during the installation process for a sneak peak of the progress made which will be visible during our operating hours once the work begins. Operating hours are subject to change and can be found here along with upcoming events and menus: Violet Sky | Rooftop Lounge in Austin, TX (violetskyaustin.com)

**Quotes:**

“We have our work cut out for us. Deciding on a finalist will be the most difficult part of this project. We can’t wait to see the transformation of this space by one of these exceptional artists, and we hope we can help make a difference for the Austin Creative Alliance by raising awareness. The local artist community has taken a hit with the ever-increasing high cost of living in Austin and we want to help keep it weird here, forever.” – Charlotte Tyer, General Manager of AC Hotel Austin Hill Country and Violet Sky Rooftop Lounge.

“Austin has always had a vibrant art scene and we are thrilled to become a part of it, and to support the local artist community alongside ACA. The number of responses and the quality of the artist submissions were incredible.” – Dwight Curry, Owner of the AC Hotel Austin Hill Country and Violet Sky Rooftop Lounge.

**About Austin Creative Alliance and the Hightower Building Acquisition:**

Austin Creative Alliance (ACA) occupies an historic former church built in 1916 just East of downtown. In addition to a beautiful light-filled sanctuary, the property features a home, and several separate spaces used as studios, offices and classrooms occupied by a community of nine artists and three arts non-profits, who serve thousands of Austinites through their creative work and cultural programming. Austin Creative Alliance has negotiated a deal with the property’s owner to sell at well below market price in order to keep the historic building intact, establish critically needed, permanently affordable live/work spaces for artists, and create a community-centered arts venue for performances, rehearsals and classes. ACA’s acquisition of the property would have the following immediate impacts:

• Save existing jobs in the arts by avoiding the displacement of three arts nonprofits and nine working artists
• Exempt the building from property taxes, freeing up the existing cash flow to address maintenance, renovation and preservation.
• Bring the currently underutilized 2,000 square foot historic sanctuary in to use as a desperately needed community arts space
• Make the property eligible for nonprofit grants and tax credits (including state and federal historic tax credits and potentially New Markets TaxCredits) as an historically significant site.

For more information about the Violet Sky Mural Project and to stay updated on the progress, please visit violetskyaustin.com and follow us on Instagram (@violetskytx), Facebook, and LinkedIn.

SOURCE Violet Sky Rooftop Lounge