Downtown gets new art
By Joey Pitchford
Published in News on October 15, 2017 1:45 AM
News-Argus/JOEY PITCHFORD
Artist Johnathan Bowling works on his sculpture Don at the intersection of Mulberry Street and Center Street Friday. Bowling created the three-part sculpture out of repurposed scrap metal.
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News-Argus/JOEY PITCHFORD
Julie Metz, Downtown Goldsboro Development Corporation director, left, stands with Wendy Walker, arts council director and public art steering committee members Bob Bass, Karen Sullivan and Joanna Ferrin in front of city hall Friday. The group gathered to celebrate the installation of several pieces of new art on Center Street.
Center Street has a new look after several new pieces of art were installed Friday, followed by an official art installation ceremony at City Hall.
Three pieces went into place Friday -- Hanna Jubran's Midsummer, Bob Doster's July Leaves and Johnathan Bowling's Don -- with Charlie Brouwer's Arriving Home to come in the next few weeks. Bowling worked on Don at the intersection of Center Street and Mulberry Street, drilling holes to secure the three-part sculpture to the ground. Don features sculptures of Don Quixote, Sancho Panza and their donkey, all made with repurposed scrap metal.
"I already had the donkey built, but the rest of it was just my normal process," he said. "Of course, it's all done with found materials."
Once he finished, Bowling joined a group gathered in front of City Hall for the installation ceremony. There, Arts Council of Wayne County director Wendy Walker gave a welcome to the gathered audience.
"Ensuring that the arts are thriving in our community is not just the mission statement of the arts council, but it is the passion project for everyone involved in the selection and placement of public art," she said. "The arts improve the livability of our neighborhoods, increase economic development and connect us all at the very core of our humanity."
After Walker spoke, each member of the Public Art Steering Committee introduced one of the four works of art, along with a short biography of the artist who created it. This was followed by a speech from Mayor Chuck Allen, who praised the yearly rotation of art through downtown.
"We could have bought the art, but what I love about the way we do it is it keeps the conversation going," he said. "I want to keep this conversation fluid down here in downtown, I don't want our downtown to ever get stagnant. So every year, we know this conversation is going to come up, and it's a good conversation."
Allen ended his speech by presenting Bowling and Doster, the two artists still in attendance, with plaques which will sit next to their respective sculptures on Center Street.