The Staunton Augusta Art Center has issued a call for artists to submit designs for painting picnic tables at the Wharf.
In early March, the Wharf came into Staunton‘s spotlight after engineers determined that it was no longer safe for vehicles to drive on the Johnson Street entrance or to park on one side of the parking lot.
As the city considers options for redesign of the Wharf, businesses at the Wharf are struggling.
“Right now everything at the Wharf is kind of suffering. People don’t go down there because they don’t know where to park, or the cones and traffic, they’re not entirely sure,” said Staunton Augusta Art Center Executive Director Angus Carter of the art contest. “So this program is kind of a way to activate that area.”
Artists do not have to live in Staunton or the Valley to submit designs. However, designs must adhere to the city’s public art policy, which prohibits profanity, nudity, depictions of violence or sexual themes.
“The city understands this time of disruption in the Wharf area can be impactful to area businesses,” said Staunton Assistant City Manager Amanda Kaufman.
To ease the disruption, Kaufman said the city is excited to partner with the art center on a community-based picnic table art project to create a welcoming, flexible space for community connection that will also support local businesses. Temporary upgrades in the Wharf area will begin in August and September.
The deadline for submissions is Sunday, July 20, 2025. Carter said that the public will have an opportunity to vote online for the top five submissions by the end of July. Community workshops will be held at the art center on how to paint and members of the public will be invited to paint the designs for a Pop-Up Park at the Wharf.
“The designs will transform a bit as the public puts their mark on them,” Carter said of the design between submission and painting it on the tops of the tables. The city will provide the picnic tables to be placed in front of Byers Street Bistro and near the parking kiosk. “We are thinking of this as a community-based project, so we are encouraging local artists to submit but also part of that community-based aspect is allowing the community to respond to designs that they feel are appropriate for the area.”
According to Carter, the art center’s mission goes beyond the walls of its galleries and building at 20 S. New Street. The art center also works to build and strengthen community and put art on display for the public to enjoy.
“I think, in a larger sense, this is a way to start having a question about or a discussion about what constitutes public art,” Carter said of the design contest. The situation also creates an opportunity to discuss what do Staunton residents want public spaces to be in the city and what do they want to happen at the Wharf. “By the act of putting these tables here, it is asking the public to start thinking what the space can be, what we want it to be.”
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Rebecca Barnabi
