Steering committee to select 50 to 60 options to replace dowtown art objects
By Rochelle Moore
Published in News on July 18, 2017 9:00 PM
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Sky Walker, a sculpture in the John Street parking lot in downtown Goldsboro, will be replaced with new artwork later this year.
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News-Argus/ROCHELLE MOORE
Humble, a 14-foot-tall, steel-crafted dinosaur, will be replaced with a different sculpture at the Center and Mulberry Street roundabout in the fall.
The process of selecting new art pieces for downtown Goldsboro's roundabouts and other prominent locations will start this week.
A public art steering committee, composed of 16 people from different segments of the community, will meet Thursday morning at the Downtown Goldsboro Development Corp. office to review 50 to 60 sculptures under consideration, said Julie Metz, Goldsboro downtown development director.
"It has proven to be a very fun process to have people of all ages, people with varying backgrounds of art from novice to experienced, all come together with an interest to work as a team and find new gems for downtown to showcase," Metz said. "For the past two years, the artwork has proven to be an unexpected highlight of our downtown, attracting interest and exploration."
Jim Davis, of Sculpture in the Landscape, will present the artwork options for consideration after soliciting proposals from across the state and nation, Metz said.
"At this meeting, we will work through the process to shortlist the pieces we think are best for our community and the spaces with consideration to mass, color, scale, impact, etc.," Metz said.
After a dozen pieces are selected as the top favorites, the city will display photos and information on its website for public feedback. Based on the responses, city staff will propose two large and two smaller art sculptures to the city council for approval on Aug. 21.
An installation ceremony is planned on Oct. 13, at noon, when the new pieces will be added to the downtown area. Two of the larger sculptures will be added to the Center Street roundabouts, at Mulberry and Chestnut streets. Smaller pieces will be added in the John Street parking lot and along the 100 block of North Center Street.
The sculptures will replace Humble, a 14-foot-tall, steel-crafted dinosaur, at Center and Mulberry; Sounds of the Elements, a 14-foot-tall, stainless steel, bronze and aluminum piece crafted to look like a musician's musical fork at Center and Chestnut; Sky Walker, an 18-foot-tall, multi-colored steel piece in the John Street parking lot; and Mates, a 7-foot-tall sculpture situated in the median along the 100 block of North Center Street.
The city is paying Davis $3,000 to serve as consultant, and the city budget includes $7,000 for anticipated leasing costs for the sculptures during the next year.
The process of switching out the art each year is an effort to keep the sculptures fresh and interesting for residents and visitors, Metz said.