Williamsburg Considering $150K for Temporary Downtown Art Installation
“Touring Musical Swings” said to stimulate community involvement and economic activity
Williamsburg City Council will soon decide whether to allocate up to $150,000 of public art funding for a temporary interactive installation called Touring Musical Swings, which has traveled worldwide, including stops in New York, Detroit, West Palm Beach, and Houston. The installation features a row of musical swing seats stretching 70 feet. As participants swing, each seat triggers notes from classical instruments such as the piano, guitar, harp, and vibraphone. The higher the swing, the higher the pitch. When multiple users swing in unison, they create harmonized melodies.
“Musical Swings is an urban interactive installation that stimulates human connections in public spaces,” states a website created for the art installation. “Imagined as a collective experience, the work invites people of all ages and backgrounds to make music together,” it adds.
The total cost of the project is expected to be $150,000, which includes a $74,000 rental fee for the swings, $20,000 for shipping and travel, $50,000 to prepare and staff the site and a $6,000 contingency. If approved, the swings would occupy the lawn of the downtown Community Building for seven weeks next spring. The swings would be open and free to the public from March 30 through May 17.
Last month, the Williamsburg Public Art Council (WPAC) recommended the funding request be paid from its Fiscal Year 2026 budget, though the funding must still receive final authorization from the City Council, which is expected to consider the funding request at an upcoming meeting.
A video from a recent installation of Touring Musical Swings in Naperville, IL.
Information posted on the city’s website about the projects states that the WPAC plans multiple art installations in 2026 meant to “[c]elebrate the city’s evolving identity through artistic expression” and “[a]ctivate public spaces with accessible, engaging art” along with several other goals.
An independent study commissioned by Daily Tous les Jours reported significant economic impact in several cities that hosted Touring Musical Swings. For example, the study indicated a 56% increase in foot traffic near the installation sites, totalling 226,500 visitors overall at three different sites, with many traveling from outside the immediate area.
In current Fiscal Year 2026, Williamsburg anticipates a total of 3.9M visitors from outside a 15-mile radius, up from 3.5M in FY2025. The city reports that it attracted over 218,000 people to city-funded events last year and expects over 236,000 this year.
Beyond economic effects, the installation is designed to draw residents and visitors into a shared interactive experience. Previously, a third of participants reported interacting with someone they didn’t know while at the exhibit, and 10% say they actively collaborated with strangers to make music with the swings.
The writer used AI tools and these sources:
Agenda - Williamsburg Public Art Council Meeting - Monday, November 17, 2025
Agenda - Williamsburg Public Art Council Meeting - Monday, October 27, 2025
Minutes - Williamsburg Public Art Council Meeting - Monday, October 27, 2025
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