Downtown statues chosen by committee
By Ethan Smith
Published in News on July 9, 2015 1:46 PM
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Pictured here is a photoshopped depiction of 'Sunkissed,' one of the statues that will be placed in one of two roundabouts being constructed as part of Streetscape.
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Submitted photo
Pictured here is a photoshopped depiction of "Natural Embrace," one of the statues that will soon grace downtown Goldsboro.
As the completion date for Streetscape draws closer, the final decision on what pieces of art will be placed in two of the coming three roundabouts on Center Street has been made final.
Three art pieces were in final contention for the final round and they were titled "Natural Embrace" "Sunkissed" and "The Four Seasons."
Two art pieces titled "Natural Embrace" and "Sunkissed" were the final selections by the Public Art Steering Committee in charge of making the decision.
Following the March 2 city council meeting, the steering committee was formed to filter public opinion on art pieces and guide the art selection for downtown.
The committee began with a list of 36 prospective art pieces, which they then whittled down to 11. While waiting to narrow down the selection to a final three options, two of the art pieces were purchased by other buyers, leaving the committee with nine to choose from.
They then opened the selection to the public, going through the Downtown Goldsboro Development Corporation to place the potential selections on the DGDC website so the public could comment on the pieces.
A total of 111 comments generated by roughly three dozen citizens were received on the final 11 pieces.
The finalists, "Natural Embrace" and "The Four Seasons" drew a total of 10 comments each, while "Sunkissed" received seven.
Nearly all comments on each piece were positive, though "Natural Embrace" -- which was ultimately chosen and resembles a Venus flytrap -- received a particularly critical comment.
"I feel like people already refer to Goldsboro as a place that traps you and you can't ever get out," the comment said. "The Venus fly trap lures flies then clamps shut slowly digesting their victims, not something I want to really think about when I think about my hometown. This is what this piece says to me. Not a very positive piece but I do like the lines of the stems."
One comment on "Natural Embrace" was whimsical, saying "I would vote for this if I was able to choose a few people to place in the fly traps."
Many praised the piece for portraying a plant native to Eastern North Carolina, and for reminding citizens of the nature surrounding the city throughout the county and embracing a colorful theme.
Out of the final 11 potential selections, comments ranged from things such as "Not a fan" and "This is just awful" on a piece titled "Two by Two," to comments like "Beautiful. Could be meaningful to a place where flight is so important," on a piece titled "Flight."
"Two by Two" did not make it into the final three options, and neither did "Flight," despite "Flight" being the most popular option.
"Flight" was not selected by the committee because they felt it did not fit being placed in a roundabout.
"Flight was, probably as far as the quantity of reactions or comments, they favored 'Flight,'" said DGDC Director Julie Metz. "The public Art Steering Committee, as well as the project designers, felt strongly that, as much as we like this piece, it's probably not appropriate for a roundabout where you'll have a 360 degree viewpoint. It's more configured to be an entrance piece, as it only really has one side that makes an impact."
Ms. Metz said the DGDC staff will seek additional funding for the piece in order to lease it for a year and place it in front of either City Hall or the main John Street parking lot off of Center Street that connects the backsides of several downtown businesses.
"Sunkissed" and "The Four Seasons" were also praised for their bright colors, as both have themes of bright orange and "The Four Seasons" is a mix of bright oranges and blues.
"I like this one the best as the theme of this piece suites (sic) Goldsboro best," one comment for "The Four Seasons" said. "The colors are bright and vibrant, which adds a bit of freshness to downtown and obviously this is the whole point of the Streetscape project."
There were concerns expressed by the Goldsboro City Council and community members about the modernity of the pieces, though Ms. Metz said it should not be an issue.
"I think it's (the artwork) going to be different from our downtown, but I don't think that's a bad thing," Ms. Metz said. "I mean I think our structures and our fabric is historic, and we value that historic fabric, but I think it's been interesting, the conversation (that's been going on regarding the pieces.) You know, is it comfortable for us to explore the idea of installing new things in our downtown landscape? Yes. I don't think holding on to the fact that we are always and forever going to be this quaint, historic downtown -- it didn't work for us 20 years ago and I think we need to embrace growth and new ideas and change. And I think this will help us get there."
Some comments on "Sunkissed" worried that the piece might become a bit of a jungle gym for children because of its shape, which consists of seven rectangular poles jutting out of a ball in the middle.
"I like how this one looks like a sunburst but I see kids climbing on it and ruining it quickly, or being dumb and getting hurt from falling off" one comment said. "Color is nice and I like the fact it's very graphic, but again I feel it's too modern for downtown."
A final decision on which pieces will be placed downtown is expected to be made by the committee this week.