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PUBLIC ART PROJECT BACKGROUND:
Thank you for your interest in the City’s Downtown Public Art Project. As part of the Center Street Streetscape Project, the City made plans to incorporate public art into the street transformation and design. Five round-a-bouts were created to manage traffic flow at the intersections throughout the corridor. These round-a-bouts exist at the intersections of Center & Mulberry, Walnut, Chestnut, Pine and Elm. The round-a-bout where Center Street crosses Walnut Street features “Cityscape,” a large granite fountain that serves as a permanent focal point for the corridor. The remaining round-a-bouts are designed to serve as platforms for significantly sized sculpture pieces, as well as median gathering points in between. The City and 2015-16 Public Art Steering Committee made a decision to utilize these platforms to house public art on an annual lease basis for several reasons. First and foremost, we believe having art changed out each year will add an element of excitement and interest to downtown. Other benefits to this approach include: reduction of upfront costs, reduction of long-term maintenance costs and the possibility that at some point, everyone will experience a piece they favor and, if you don’t like a piece, you have the comfort of knowing it is temporary.
2023 SELECTION PROCESS:
Before: City staff requested the assistance of people representing various interests to serve on a steering committee, now named the Public Art Steering Committee (PASC). Approximately four people serve as standing members on the PASC. Each year, we make a call for applications to enlist additional people to help us with the selection for that year. It is our hope that this will broaden the perspectives that make the annual selections. This year we had 8 additional people ranging in age from 26 – 63+, and of different backgrounds, gender, race and professions who helped with the selections. The City also hired a public art consultant to help identify possible pieces through a nationwide Call for Artists and guide us in the process. Mr. Jim Davis of Sculptor in the Landscape, a company based in Cary, NC, was selected to assist the City with this effort. Mr. Davis is a landscape architect that specializes in placing sculptor in public spaces. Fifty-three pieces from ten states were submitted by artists for consideration. Based on preferences, size, dimensions, scale/mass, past pieces, material and availability, the PASC created a shortlist for further consideration. These pieces were created by professional artists from across the country. This shortlist includes the pieces featured on this site.
Now: We are asking you, the public, to provide your responses to the inventory shown below. This is not a voting process but we do wish to hear your reactions to the pieces to help us understand which pieces might work best for downtown Goldsboro at this time, in your opinion. We invite you to participate via the comment opportunities provided under each piece until Wednesday, July 12 at 11:59 p.m., at which time we will retrieve all the comments provided on the City’s website, compile them and prepare them for the PASC’s review. The PASC will take these comments and feedback into consideration and narrow the shortlist to nine pieces and present those in the form of a recommendation for the City Council’s consideration and ultimate decision of four at their July 17, 2023 Council Work Session meeting.
POST SELECTION EXPECTATIONS:
The chosen pieces will be installed on Friday, September 22, with an Art Installation Ceremony at noon. Come join us to learn more about the selected art pieces and meet the artists.
THANK YOU:
A special thanks to the following people that serve on the PASC and helped guide the process that will incorporate art into our downtown. The 2023 PASC members include: Erin Fonseca, Kayla Jones, Anna Hinson, Jim Grant, Terri Bradley, Michael Braswell, Katie Dickens, Beverly Durham, Fritz Knack, Bruce Mahlstadt, Robert Pinder, Heath Radford, David Wyly.
Thank you for your interest in the City’s Downtown Public Art Project. As part of the Center Street Streetscape Project, the City made plans to incorporate public art into the street transformation and design. Five round-a-bouts were created to manage traffic flow at the intersections throughout the corridor. These round-a-bouts exist at the intersections of Center & Mulberry, Walnut, Chestnut, Pine and Elm. The round-a-bout where Center Street crosses Walnut Street features “Cityscape,” a large granite fountain that serves as a permanent focal point for the corridor. The remaining round-a-bouts are designed to serve as platforms for significantly sized sculpture pieces, as well as median gathering points in between. The City and 2015-16 Public Art Steering Committee made a decision to utilize these platforms to house public art on an annual lease basis for several reasons. First and foremost, we believe having art changed out each year will add an element of excitement and interest to downtown. Other benefits to this approach include: reduction of upfront costs, reduction of long-term maintenance costs and the possibility that at some point, everyone will experience a piece they favor and, if you don’t like a piece, you have the comfort of knowing it is temporary.
2023 SELECTION PROCESS:
Before: City staff requested the assistance of people representing various interests to serve on a steering committee, now named the Public Art Steering Committee (PASC). Approximately four people serve as standing members on the PASC. Each year, we make a call for applications to enlist additional people to help us with the selection for that year. It is our hope that this will broaden the perspectives that make the annual selections. This year we had 8 additional people ranging in age from 26 – 63+, and of different backgrounds, gender, race and professions who helped with the selections. The City also hired a public art consultant to help identify possible pieces through a nationwide Call for Artists and guide us in the process. Mr. Jim Davis of Sculptor in the Landscape, a company based in Cary, NC, was selected to assist the City with this effort. Mr. Davis is a landscape architect that specializes in placing sculptor in public spaces. Fifty-three pieces from ten states were submitted by artists for consideration. Based on preferences, size, dimensions, scale/mass, past pieces, material and availability, the PASC created a shortlist for further consideration. These pieces were created by professional artists from across the country. This shortlist includes the pieces featured on this site.
Now: We are asking you, the public, to provide your responses to the inventory shown below. This is not a voting process but we do wish to hear your reactions to the pieces to help us understand which pieces might work best for downtown Goldsboro at this time, in your opinion. We invite you to participate via the comment opportunities provided under each piece until Wednesday, July 12 at 11:59 p.m., at which time we will retrieve all the comments provided on the City’s website, compile them and prepare them for the PASC’s review. The PASC will take these comments and feedback into consideration and narrow the shortlist to nine pieces and present those in the form of a recommendation for the City Council’s consideration and ultimate decision of four at their July 17, 2023 Council Work Session meeting.
POST SELECTION EXPECTATIONS:
The chosen pieces will be installed on Friday, September 22, with an Art Installation Ceremony at noon. Come join us to learn more about the selected art pieces and meet the artists.
THANK YOU:
A special thanks to the following people that serve on the PASC and helped guide the process that will incorporate art into our downtown. The 2023 PASC members include: Erin Fonseca, Kayla Jones, Anna Hinson, Jim Grant, Terri Bradley, Michael Braswell, Katie Dickens, Beverly Durham, Fritz Knack, Bruce Mahlstadt, Robert Pinder, Heath Radford, David Wyly.
