George Hage and the VIC Windows
Friday, March 18, 2022, 12pm by Karen DeSollar
If you haven't visited the official Visitor Information Center (VIC) in downtown Raleigh recently, stop by and take a look. The walls are sporting a vibrant red which gives the space a new energy. Kessa Stevens, CGSP®, GRCVB's VIC manager, is on hand to answer questions and provide referrals. It's a welcoming and valuable resource for area visitors.
You'll also want to take a look at the new artwork installation on the VIC windows. The previous artwork had been there for quite a while and it was waayyy past time to update it. We decided to wait until the worst of the pandemic passed, but once we were back, it was time to take on the project.
You might have also noticed at THE RINK at Red Hat Amphitheater this winter, or even year-round at Transfer Co. Food Hall, the distinctive art styling of Raleigh artist George Hage.
He graciously took on our VIC assignment, and the design and production process began in earnest in December. After a few renderings and proofs, we signed off on the art a few weeks ago, and our friends at Colorgraphic installed the four pieces last week.
The four windows feature:
- A welcome to Raleigh and stylized map of Wake County noting each of the 11 other municipalities (and a cardinal, the state bird of North Carolina);
- A things to do panel with imagery of museums, the arts and the outdoors;
- A calendar of events panel with representations of live music, the performing arts (and a reference to Ramble the squirrel);
- A food and drinks panel with a pig (of course), a foamy craft beer and a few symbols of other notable area eateries.
Each panel includes a QR code linking back to that section of visitRaleigh.com. We're hoping that as meeting/sports attendees are milling around the downtown convention campus and late-night crowds are wandering Fayetteville Street district, they will spot the windows, scan the QR codes and get all the official information they could ever want when visiting Raleigh.
It's also a great spot for a selfie or two (or four). Go take a look when you are downtown, and if you see George, tell him thanks and great job!
Author: Karen DeSollar
Karen DeSollar is creative director at the Greater Raleigh CVB and has worked for over 15 years in the tourism sector. She started her career as an editor and earned a bachelor's degree in speech communications and English and a master's in journalism. She added graphic design to her bag of tricks when she spent 13 years as director of communications at a university in San Diego.