Art master plan input meeting to be Monday
By Ethan Smith
Published in News on April 8, 2016 1:46 PM
A public input meeting for the development of the downtown Goldsboro public art master plan is scheduled to be held on Monday, April 11, at 6 p.m. at the Arts Council of Wayne County.
Goldsboro was recently selected by the North Carolina Arts Council as a smART community. This means Goldsboro has received a grant that provides $30,000 each year for the next three to five years that can be used for the implementation of public art and arts-based economic development.
Some of this money has already been used to hire artist Walter Hood, who will help the city develop a downtown public art master plan.
The public input meeting is so that the community can have a say in the direction the master plan will take in developing public art projects that meet the community's interests.
Hood and his team will be at the meeting on April 11, and have been working on developing a preliminary public art master plan for Goldsboro.
Hood spent four days in Goldsboro with his team from Feb. 4 to Feb. 8, visiting and speaking with community members, going various places that fall within the scope of the future project and immersing themselves in Goldsboro.
"People can expect a presentation that highlights what they found and learned when they came here," said Arts Council of Wayne County Director Sarah Merritt. "They'll share ideas for the project with people and ideas they have about its implementation."
Mrs. Merritt said hood has been sharing ideas with her that go beyond just sculptures and murals. Hood has discussed the potential for art built into infrastructure, such as sidewalks, benches and more.
There has also been discussion about implementing art projects on the Ash Street corridor near the traffic circle or Cornerstone Commons. The scope of the project will include the entirety of downtown Goldsboro.
Hood is an artist based out of Oakland, Calif., and was selected by a committee from a pool of roughly 25 applicants.
The committee selected Hood unanimously, and consists of the following people:
* Sarah Merritt
* Julie Metz, director of the Downtown Goldsboro Development Corp.
* Scott Stevens, city manager of Goldsboro
* Sherry Archibald, director of the Paramount Theatre
* Randy Guthrie, assistant city manager of Goldsboro
* David Weil, Weil Enterprises
* Jennifer Collins, assistant planning director of Goldsboro
* Chuck Allen, mayor of Goldsboro
* Xavi Slocum, wife of Col. Mark Slocum, commander of the 4th Fighter Wing at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base
* Miftah Ali, owner of Zennubian 7 Teahouse
* Taylor Shoop, artist
* Anthony Goodson, chief executive officer of the Goldsboro Housing Authority
* Allison Platt, principal of Allison Platt and Associates
* Kim Curry-Evans, public art coordinator for Raleigh
Following Hood's presentation, the public will have a chance to give feedback and present their own ideas for art they would like to see downtown.
"Its an opportunity to hear about what's happening downtown and get info at the beginning of a project and be able to give input and have good information about what the project is," Mrs. Merritt said.