Item 12 - AIPPP Armadillo_Water_Tank_Final_Design.pdf — original pdf

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Armadillo Water Tank Final Design Arts, Culture, Music and Entertainment Art in Public Places | May 4th, 2026 Armadillo Water Tank Project Phase Final design Artist(s) Name Bill Tavis Art Commission $225k Funding Type Sponsor Funded Sponsor Dept Austin Water Council District 2 Map – where project is located within Austin 910 Armadillo Road, Austin, TX 78745 Project Overview  The City of Austin purchased the parkland that is now Armadillo Park in 1986 and through the support and advocacy of the surrounding neighborhood and community, the park was completed in 2014.  Armadillo Park provides a natural outlet for recreation and community building. Near the park is a storage tank owned by Austin Water, the City’s water and wastewater utility, that is no longer in service and provides an opportunity to display public art that reflects Austin's identity and the history and importance of the Armadillo neighborhood.  In 2023, Austin City Council passed Resolution No. 20230816-015 directing Austin Water to explore the feasibility of placing a mural on the Armadillo Park water storage tank. Austin Water has evaluated its water storage tank and agrees that it provides an opportunity to display public art for the community and its customers. 3 Project Goals  A work of art of redeeming quality that advances public understanding of visual art and enhances the aesthetic quality of public places in relation to Armadillo Park and its community  Conceptualizes a strong overall artwork design approach for all ages that integrates with the site and reflects the corresponding feelings around the surrounding natural environment  Celebrates the historical fabric of South Austin, including the legacy of the Armadillo World Headquarters and the vibrant spirit of music, art, and creativity that defined the area and helped shape Austin's cultural identity  Is permanent with an expected life span of at least 20 years  Is easily maintained and vandal resistant in an exterior environment 4 Armadillo Water Tank – Scope of Work Scope of Work: • Engage with community to understand the context and vision of the mural • Carefully plan and design the mural to incorporate community engagement • Paint and seal the mural on the water tank Eligibility:  Experience creating 2-dimensional permanent artwork in materials suitable for exterior environments  Austin-based visual artists who reside in the seven counties bounding the Austin metro area (Travis, Hays, Williamson, Bastrop, Caldwell, Burnet, and Blanco counties)  at least 18 years of age 5 Bill Tavis – Artist Introduction Bill Tavis is an Austin based artist who paints murals using a technique called Halftonism. Halftones are a repeating pattern that changes in relative width to create the illusion of shading. 6 Community Engagement • There were 30 responses to the survey, and almost everyone lived nearby and sees the water tower regularly • It is pretty evenly split as to what direction people see the mural from, meaning that every angle is important 7 Community Engagement • Most people wanted armadillo(s) and/or a reference to the venue itself • People wanted to see various flora and fauna, especially wildflowers, trees, armadillos, and water 8 Community Engagement • Top 4 local wildflowers: bluebonnets, indian blanket (firewheel), winecup, indian paintbrush • Top 2 murals mentioned were landscape scenes 9 Community Engagement • People overwhelmingly wanted to see a lot of green on • People mostly wanted lots of light blue on the upper half, the bottom half maybe with some colors mixed in 10 Community Engagement • This is Austin in 1973, when the Texas capital building was still the tallest structure downtown. Armadillo World Headquarters is seen in the lower left. 11 Community Engagement • These scans show documents that were left to me by the late Jackie Goodman. She talked about an “Armadillo Trail” leading from the Armadillo World Headquarters back to the neighborhood with the water tank (shown in drawing on the left and talked about on right). She talked about the importance of celebrating this history, the art of the time, and the armadillo animal itself. 12 Community Engagement • This is artwork from Jim Franklin. Little armadillos wandering around (left) were a common theme in his posters from the Armadillo World Headquarters. Also, multiple artworks of his focused on the pattern of the armadillo, such as these panels on the right where the armadillo pattern gets overlayed with the landscape. These elements became sources of inspiration 13 Final Design • On the east side of the tank, a large armadillo playing guitar is seen up high. Behind him is a path that leads to the old Armadillo World Headquarters, behind which is the old Austin skyline where the Texas capital building and the UT clocktower were still the tallest two structures. Small armadillos are walking forward on the path. • The path also represents the path of time as we are, like it or not, leaving that era behind. It is small and receding into the background (as a metaphor), but it remains in an elevated position so that we can remember and appreciate where we came from as a city. 14 Final Design • The path continues past the armadillo playing guitar and on the lower portion of the water tank it turns around in the foreground and goes back into the trees, representing the actual path that is in the park. So while the other end of the path is dissapearing into the past, this represents what is now there and since the path kind of disappears it invites the viewer to ponder on where we want to go from here. • The little armadillos on the trail are inspired by the AWHQ poster art • Lots of green for the lower half 15 Final Design  Around the side of the tank is an armadillo drinking from some water  Austin Water as the sponsor department requested a tie in with drinking water, and with the natural areas in and around Austin.  This section is on the lower half so it also uses a lot of green and neutral colors.  Above is a honeybee because the original land-owner was a beekeeper 16 Final Design • On the opposite side of the tank is a field of wildflowers, showcasing bluebonnets and a firewheel, and also including a winecup and pink primrose (lower right). Inspired by the poster art, this is then halftoned with a drawing of an armadillo 17 Final Design • The pattern on most of the image is inspired by the markings of an armadillo, with alternating straight / zig-zag lines 18 Final Design • The cliff is a reference to the famous poster with the mirrored armadillo sitting on top of the world (which was too much of a logo to reference directly). 19 Final Design • On the backside facing the neighborhood, it is a clear blue sky up high and large “tree” stripes of green down low. All around the tank, the bottom 5-10 feet is kept clear of important information as a buffer. • The guitar has two small stickers on it, one is a sticker of Texas with Austin marked. The other sticker is a reference to Cody’s cat 20 Final Design Rendering Armadillo Rd going west William Canon Dr going west 21 Final Design Rendering Behind church on Emerald Forest Dr from the parking lot of Sprouts looking east 22 Final Design Rendering Armadillo Rd going east from car wash across William Canon Dr 23 Final Design Rendering Backyard view looking south from Austin Highlands Blvd 24 Site Plan • The mural is approximately 80 feet tall by 180 feet across, for an approximate total area of around 15,000 square feet. This is wrapped around a cylinder • The mural was carefully designed to fit the structure and for specific imagery to be seen from specific vantage points • A square grid will be used to ensure correct placement of all of the elements • The top and bottom of the mural are designed to act as buffer zones in case the height is not exactly 80 feet 25 Site Plan • Once the first base coat of color is applied, a square grid will be carefully measured and mapped onto the surface, with grid cells that are 4 feet by 4 feet • The grid will be drawn with Monatana Black spraypaint and each grid square will be labeled with a system of numbers and letters to keep them straight 26 Final Design: Materials • Materials: Loxon® Concrete & Masonry primer (provided and applied by Austin Water) Loxon® Self-Cleaning Acrylic paint Golden Acrylic mural paints (bright colors) Montana Black spray paint (details) Golden Mural Isolation Coat Golden MSA UVLS Varnish World’s Best® Graffiti Coating 27 Artwork Budget Line Item Design Community Engagement Mid Design Final Design Design subtotal Fabrication / Install Paint / sealant Labor Insurance Lift equipment rental Other equipment / supplies purchase Fabrication / Install subtotal Contingency Total Amount % $13,300 $13,300 $13,300 $39,900 $41,500 $44,000 $12,500 $58,000 $6,600 $162,600 $22,500 $225,000 18% 72% 10% 100% 28 Timeline • Present to Arts Commission May 2026 • Painting mural June – September 2026 • Finishing mural and applying clear coat October 2026 29