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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2020 - Art In Public Places Board - Annual Report ART IN PUBLIC PLACES BOARD 2020 Annual Report 2020 ANNUAL REPORT Page 1 Celebrating 25 Years! 2020 SNAPSHOT • Completed 57 murals: 28 transformer cabinets, 13 pianos, 15 downtown restaurant barriers, and a large-scale 190-foot-long community mural which engaged the neighborhood and over 140 volunteers. • Created 15 granite Pedestrian Pavers sandblasted with youth drawings to be placed in City sidewalks. • The program completed phase II of art at the Gardens on Spring Creek and the largest project to date at the Willow St. Plaza. • Accepted donations of Heritage Gateway by John Davis and The Hand That Feeds by Frank Garza. The APP goals and projects align with the City of Fort Collins key outcome areas: BACKGROUND Art in Public Places Board meetings started in July of 1995, because it was recognized that art is vitally important to the quality of life and an economic driver in the community. Meetings are held the third Wednesday of each month at 3:30 p.m. at The Lincoln Center. Due to COVID-19, many meetings in 2020 were held virtually via Zoom. Members who served in 2020 were Miriam Chase, Sabrina Davies, Gwen Hatchette, Carol Ann Hixon, Kirsten Savage, Michael Short, and Sara Wade. Kirsten Savage served as Chairperson and Sabrina Davies served as Vice-Chair. PURPOSE The city recognizes that art is vitally important to the quality of life in the community. • Encourage and enhance artistic expression and appreciation. • Add value to the community through acquiring, exhibiting, and maintaining public art. Economic Health Neighborhood Livability and Social Health Environmental Health Linda Roth paints a mural at Starry Night Espresso Café Vibrant Forest by Kristen Vohs, with 140 community volunteers In Praise of the Poudre by Andrew Dufford and Chevo Studios ART IN PUBLIC PLACES BOARD 2020 Annual Report 2020 ANNUAL REPORT Page 2 GOALS • Enrich the public environment for residents and visitors through the visual arts. • Increase public access to works of art. • Promote understanding and awareness of the visual arts in the public environment. • Promote a variety of artistic expressions in the community. • Contribute to the community’s civic pride in its cultural diversity. APP BOARD AND STAFF • Advise City Council on projects and programs relating to public art, design, education, aesthetics, and APP funding. • Review and make recommendations to City Council on all APP projects and City art donations. • Generate ways to promote APP initiatives and mission. • Share best practices with other local and national agencies on the APP processes and projects. • Support the implementation of the FoCo Creates: Arts and Culture Master Plan. The APP artist collaborates with the project design team early in the process to integrate the art concepts with the project goals. This collaborative approach is a model for public art programs across the country. COMPLETED PROJECTS Downtown Barrier Murals – APP in partnership with the Engineering, Streets, and Traffic Operation Departments— in collaboration with the Downtown Fort Collins Creative District, and the Jason and Lucy Greer Foundation for the Arts—hired local artists to paint 15 temporary murals on the concrete barriers around outdoor dining areas downtown. Gardens on Spring Creek, Phase II – Butterfly Bouquet by Joseph McGrane is a sculpture located at the entrance to the Gardens on Spring Creek completed last year. Joseph McGrane installed five complementary concrete benches this summer. The benches are triangular concrete Butterfly Bouquet benches by Joseph McGrane ART IN PUBLIC PLACES BOARD 2020 Annual Report 2020 ANNUAL REPORT Page 3 pillows with tile mosaic inlays of native wildflowers. They are inside The Gardens, near the visitors’ center. Maple Hill Community Mural – As part of the Vibrant Neighborhoods Grant Program, artist Kristen Vohs created a mural on the 190'-long south wing walls of the Turnberry underpass, located on the southeast corner of Turnberry and Richards Lake Roads. Vibrant Forest by Kristen Vohs is a collaboration between APP, Neighborhood Services, and the Maple Hill HOA. Over two weeks, 140 community members volunteered to help paint the mural. Pedestrian Pavers – Since 2002, the APP program has been working with the Engineering and Streets Departments to incorporate granite pavers sandblasted with drawings by youth aged from 3 to 18 into City sidewalks. In 2020, fifteen selected drawings were installed, for a total of 258 pavers. Pianos About Town – Pianos were rotated to over 9 locations in 2020. Due to COVID- 19, the number of locations was limited in 2020. The Art in Action component of the program continued with 9 artists painting piano murals in Oak Street Plaza, and 4 artists painting inside. Among this year’s creations are a rainforest-inspired mural by the Creative Kids’ Collective art group and a bee-themed mural by Colombian artist Zulay Rueda. A total of 133 piano murals have been painted so far. Transformer Cabinet Murals – Local artists painted murals on 28 cabinets in 2020. Artists have painted 348 cabinets in the 15 years of this project. This project has a high success rate in mitigating graffiti, saving the City money in abatement costs. Visitors to the area seek out the murals as they tour the City, contributing to the City’s economic development. Willow Street Plaza – Artist Andy Dufford of Chevo Studios installed In Praise of the Poudre at the northwest corner of Willow and Linden Streets. It is comprised of four hand-carved Carnelian granite columns, ranging in height from 8’ to 15’, with relief carvings of the plants, animals, insects, and landforms found around, within, and below the Cache la Poudre River. This work celebrates the elements of a healthy river ecosystem and educates visitors about water quality and natural water systems in Fort Collins. In addition, each stone column has an illuminated surface that evokes reflections on the surface of water. In Praise of the Poudre by Andrew Dufford and Chevo Studios BirdsEye by Ren Burke ART IN PUBLIC PLACES BOARD 2020 Annual Report 2020 ANNUAL REPORT Page 4 COLLABORATIONS • In its 10th season, Pianos About Town is a partnership with Bohemian Foundation and the Downtown Development Authority, and is administered by APP. • The 100th painted piano from Pianos About Town is currently on view at the Fort Collins Museum of Discovery. • The Maple Hill Community mural was part of the Vibrant Neighborhoods Grant Program, in collaboration with Neighborhood Services, and the Maple Hill HOA. • The Downtown Barrier Murals were a partnership with the Engineering, Streets, and Traffic Operation Departments, in collaboration with the Downtown Fort Collins Creative District and the Jason and Lucy Greer Foundation for the Arts. • Fort Collins and Loveland public art programs are collaborating on an art project at the shared Northern Colorado Law Enforcement Training Center. DONATIONS • Thanks to support of the Poudre Heritage Alliance, Downtown Development Authority and other community donors, the Heritage Gateway sculpture was installed in the Poudre River Whitewater Park along the Poudre Trail. It is located near the wave shelter—Whitewater. Both works are by artist John Davis. It teaches visitors about the history and importance of the Cache la Poudre River, and its long-lasting impacts on agriculture, industry, and recreation in Fort Collins. • The Hand That Feeds sculpture will be placed at Sugar Beet Park, subject to the donor Mujeres de Colores raising funds to pay for the sculpture and integrated plaza project. The bronze sculpture, by artist Frank Gaza, celebrates the history of the Hispanic and Mexican people who came to work in the sugar beet fields. Heritage Gateway (with Whitewater in the background) by John Davis Community members helping to paint Vibrant Forest by Kristen Vohs ART IN PUBLIC PLACES BOARD 2020 Annual Report 2020 ANNUAL REPORT Page 5 CURRENT AND ONGOING PROJECTS Twenty-seven projects are currently in progress including annual projects. Five of these projects are in fabrication. These projects are usually developed in conjunction with a larger construction project, so the art project timeline coincides with the construction timeline. All these projects have an artist working with the project design team to develop concepts that meet the goals of the project. • Bridge Graffiti Mitigation Murals • Bucking Horse Park and East Park Maintenance Facility • City Park Tomorrow • ClimateWise Mural • Gardens at Spring Creek Temporary • Grandview Cemetery • Harmony and Strauss Cabin Roads • Hoffman Mill Road Fuel Station • Homestead Flood Marker • Linden Street Improvements • North College • North College Bus Shelter • Northern Colorado Law Enforcement Training Center • Parking Structure • Poudre River White Water Park Phase II • Power Trail and Harmony Road Crossing • South Timberline Road Widening • Taft Hill Road Widening • Trailhead Park • Utility Scavenger Hunt • Vine Drive and Lemay Ave. • Water Reclamation Facility • Water Reclamation Facility Reuse • West Elizabeth Improvements ANNUAL PROJECTS • Pedestrian Pavers • Pianos About Town • Transformer Cabinet Murals COMMUNITY PRESENTATIONS APP staff gave in person and virtual presentations to community groups, including CSU Key Civics/CityWorksEdu Class, Leadership Northern Colorado, and PEO International, Fort Collins Chapter. OUTREACH APP staff members continue to give support to private businesses in the community: • Staff provided information on acquiring art and facilitated contact with artists. • Staff promoted APP projects to the community prior, during, and after installation with signs on site, and information in newsletters, online, and on social media. ART IN PUBLIC PLACES BOARD 2020 Annual Report 2020 ANNUAL REPORT Page 6 • Staff organized and hosted open houses for artists interested in submitting proposals to Pianos About Town and the Transformer Cabinet Mural Project. • APP website has information and images of project downloadable maps and walking tours. Six new online tours were added to the website this year. • Staff provided information to communities across the country, including Louisville, CO; Pilot Mountain, NC; and Laramie, WY. MAINTENANCE The program continued to use its artistic expertise and communication with the artists to maintain the APP collection. PUBLICITY • APP Brochures – APP promoted the program and the Transformer Cabinet Mural Project with brochures at the Visitor’s Centers downtown and at Prospect and I-25, the Lincoln Center, and available on the APP website. • City News – The program was featured multiple times in this online newsletter. • City Promotions – FC Bikes included public art as a category in their Bikeway Bingo. Neighborhood Services included Public Art Tours and promoted mural artists painting for their FoCo Pop Up Fourth of July celebration. • Facebook – The Pianos About Town Project invited the community to participate with @PianosAboutTown. APP projects were included on the City and the Lincoln Center Facebook pages. • fcgov.com/artspublic – The APP website continued to be updated with new projects, project descriptions, and current calls for art and artists. A selection of public art tours were added to the website this year. • Instagram – The Visual Arts department page @focoart features public art projects. Pianos About Town is featured @PianosAboutTown. • Local Publications – The Fort Collins Coloradoan and Colorado Sun printed various photos and articles of APP Projects throughout the year. • Web – The local community and visitors to Fort Collins continued to include stories on APP projects in their blogs, websites, and on YouTube. 2020 APP PROJECT MAP View online at: http://bit.ly/APP-Projects