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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2019 - Art In Public Places Board - Annual Report ART IN PUBLIC PLACES BOARD 2019 Annual Report 2019 ANNUAL REPORT Page 1 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. Members who served in 2019 were Miriam Chase, Sabrina Davies, Gwen Hatchette, Carol Ann Hixon, Kirsten Savage, Renee Sherman, and Michael Short. 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 Fort Collins community through acquiring, exhibiting, and maintaining public art. Goals: The principal goals of the APP program are to: 1. Enrich the public environment for residents and visitors through the visual arts. 2. Increase public access to works of art. 3. Promote understanding and awareness of the visual arts in the public environment. 4. Promote a variety of artistic expressions in the community. 5. Contribute to the community’s civic pride in its cultural diversity. 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. The APP goals, projects and Work Plan align with the City of Fort Collins key outcome areas: Culture and Recreation Neighborhood Livability and Social Health Transportation Butterfly Bouquet by Joe McGrane at the Gardens on Spring Creek’s Visitor Center and Butterfly Pavilion Sugar Beet Park play structure design concept by Mario Miguel Echevarria Mulberry and Riverside Gateway — Mountain Openings by Robert Tully ART IN PUBLIC PLACES BOARD 2019 Annual Report 2019 ANNUAL REPORT Page 2 APP Board and Staff • Advise and make recommendations for changes to rules, regulations, guidelines, policy, and administrative and budgetary matters pertaining to the APP Program. • Advise City Council on projects and programs relating to public art, design, and aesthetics related to the City. • Review and make recommendations to City Council on all APP projects and art donations to the City. • Develop collaborations and outreach. • Generate ways to promote APP initiatives and mission. • Share best practices with other local and national agencies on the APP processes and projects. COMPLETED PROJECTS Fossil Creek Trail Underpass –Sphere by Stephen Shachtman is inspired by its location near the historic site of brick kilns and just southwest of the recreation bike trail and railroad track. The oversized 8-foot diameter sphere made from 903 brick-like pieces of flagstone plays off the scale of the site and the nearby tunnel, appearing to be the same size as the tunnel opening. Gardens on Spring Creek – Butterfly Bouquet by Joseph McGrane is a decorative sculpture located at the new entrance to the Butterfly Pavilion and Gardens on Spring Creek. The sculpture panels derive their imagery from their garden setting and new Butterfly Pavilion. They are windows of color surrounded by a cloud of butterflies. Mulberry Gateway – Mountain Openings by Robert Tully is made up of sculptures ranging from 20 to 6 feet. They can be found in groupings that start on the corner and continue north down Riverside and are inspired by sandstone cliffs in the valley where Highway 14 splits from 287. The sculptures include both man-made and natural elements, combining about 140 tons of local buff sandstone with metal accents. The piece is illuminated at night. Pedestrian Pavers – Since 2002, this APP program has been working with the Engineering and Streets Departments to incorporate granite pavers sandblasted with drawings by our community’s youth aged 3 to 18 into City sidewalks. In 2019, fifteen selected drawings were installed in City sidewalks, for a total of 243 pavers. Sphere by Stephen Shachtman ART IN PUBLIC PLACES BOARD 2019 Annual Report 2019 ANNUAL REPORT Page 3 Pianos About Town – Pianos were rotated to over 22 locations in 2019. The Art in Action component of the program continued with 11 artists painting piano murals in Old Town Square, along with 2 artists painting inside during the winter months. A total of 120 piano murals have been painted so far. Poudre River Whitewater Park, Phase 1 – Whitewater by John Davis is inspired by water rapids and the associated whitewater that is created by the bubbles generated as water crashes against the rocks and boulders. It creates a connection between the overlook plaza and rapids below. The curving “wave” shapes of the structure mimic the waves of water in the rapids of the Cache la Poudre River below. Sugar Beet Park Play Structure – Park Planning & Development staff worked with Mario Miguel Echevarria and Earthscape, an award-winning playground company, to develop the iconic play structure for Sugar Beet Park. The structure was on display at the Fort Collins Museum of Discovery before being placed in the park. The sugar beet is a natural fit for the theme and location of the new park at the intersection of Vine Drive and 9th Street, near the historic site of the Great Western Sugar Factory where sugar beets were processed. Sugar Beet Park Trellis – Conveyor by Mark Leichliter is based on a simplified and stylized sugar beet and capitalizes on the visual similarity of the trellis to the elevated conveyor belts used to transport the beets into the former factory. Twin Silo Park Phase II – FLOW: Above & Below by Jill McKay. Mirror mosaic on the surface of boulders reflects the sky and clouds, the source or rain and snow (where most ground water begins). At the base of the boulders, glow stones appear in flows moving toward the creek. The piece speaks to where the water comes from, and how it moves and is moved (engineered in parks). Transformer Cabinet Murals – Local artists painted murals on 26 cabinets in 2019. Artists have painted 320 cabinets in the 14 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. Whitewater by John Davis Conveyor by Mark Leichliter FLOW: Above and Below by Jill McKay ART IN PUBLIC PLACES BOARD 2019 Annual Report 2019 ANNUAL REPORT Page 4 Willow Streetscape – Three sculptural benches by Andrew Dufford of Chevo Studios explore the ways that the water of the Cache la Poudre River is conveyed from the mountain top into the lives of the Citizens of Fort Collins. The nature of the river is explored through a series of interactive stops, with the benches, along the length of the improved streetscape project. They explore the canyon, the mill race, and underground plumbing. Willow Street Pavers – This project is a continuation of the Linden Street Paver project, also by Susan K. Dailey. The imagery is inspired by the history of Fort Collins. When available, historic photos were utilized as inspiration for the artwork. COLLABORATIONS • In its 9th season, Pianos About Town is a partnership with Bohemian Foundation and the Downtown Development Authority, and is administered by APP. • Staff worked with Visit Fort Collins to educate its volunteers about Art in Public Places. • The 100th painted piano from Pianos About Town is currently on view at the Fort Collins Museum of Discovery. • Fort Collins and Loveland public art programs are collaborating on an art project at the shared Northern Colorado Law Enforcement Training Center. Carly Knowles and her Pianos About Town mural from start to finish. Sculptural Bench by Andrew Dufford of Chevo Studios ART IN PUBLIC PLACES BOARD 2019 Annual Report 2019 ANNUAL REPORT Page 5 DONATIONS The Friends of the Gardens on Spring Creek, along with community donors, raised the funds to honor Bob Everitt and his wife, Joyce, with a bronze sculpture created by Colorado sculptor George Lundeen. The life-sized bronze sculpture depicting Bob and Joyce Everitt is placed sitting on a bench in the Great Lawn area near the Everitt Pavilion. CURRENT AND ONGOING PROJECTS Twenty-three projects are currently in progress including annual projects. 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. • City Park Refresh • FC Moves Bike Lanes • Flood Marker • Fort Collins Museum of Discovery • Gardens at Spring Creek Great Lawn • Grandview Cemetery Mausoleum • Harmony and Strauss Cabin Roads • Linden Street Improvements • Maple Hill Mural • North College - Canal to Highway 1 • North College Bus Shelter • Parking Structure • Northern Colorado Law Enforcement Training Center • Poudre Heritage Gateway • Poudre River White Water Park Phase II • Trailhead Park • Utility Scavenger Hunt • Water Reclamation Facility • Water Reclamation Facility Reuse • Willow Street Plaza ANNUAL PROJECTS • Pedestrian Pavers • Pianos About Town • Transformer Cabinet Murals Joyce Everitt with the sculpture of her and her husband, Bob at the Gardens on Spring Creek. ART IN PUBLIC PLACES BOARD 2019 Annual Report 2019 ANNUAL REPORT Page 6 COMMUNITY PRESENTATIONS APP staff gave presentations to community and visiting groups, including CSU Key Civics Class, Leadership Fort Collins; Faith Church, Loveland Rotary, Loveland PEO, Redeemer Lutheran Church , and offered a walking tour of public art projects to the First Presbyterian Church Sensational Seniors Group. OUTREACH APP staff members continue to give support to private businesses in the community : • Staff provided information on processes for acquiring art and facilitating contact with artists. • Staff promoted project information to the community prior, d uring, and after installation of new artwork with signs and handouts on site, as well as information in newsletters, online, and on social media. • Staff attended the national Public Art Network/American for the Arts Conference in Philadelphia and networked on behalf of the program. • Staff took part on panels for the CSU Art Department on the Freelance Economy, Leadership Northern Colorado and Public Art Panel at the Midwest NRPA Conference in Wyoming. • Staff organized and hosted open houses for artists interes ted in submitting proposals to Pianos About Town and the Transformer Cabinet Mural Project. • Staff provided information to communities across the country, including Ames, IA; Downtown Walnut Creek, CA ; Greeley, CO; Klamath Falls, OR; Lamar, CO; Romney, WV; Silverthorne, CO; Southeast Colorado Creative Partnership, and FunMe Events. 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 informational brochures at the Visitor’s Centers downtown and at Prospect and I-25, the Lincoln Center, and available for download from the APP website. • City News – The program was featured multiple times in this online newsletter. • City View – The program was featured multiple times in these online videos about City happenings. ART IN PUBLIC PLACES BOARD 2019 Annual Report 2019 ANNUAL REPORT Page 7 • Facebook – The Pianos About Town Project invited the community to participate with the project’s Facebook page at Facebook.com/PianosAboutTown. Staff also included APP projects on the City and the Lincoln Center Facebook Page. • fcgov.com/artspublic – The APP website continued to be updated with new projects, project descriptions, and current calls for art and artists. The image gallery was updated to an easier to use format. The website also included printable maps of the Pedestrian Pavers, the Transformer Cabinet Murals, and APP art locations throughout the city. • GIS Maps – Staff worked with the City’s GIS department to update maps and make new maps for printed handouts. • Instagram – The Visual Arts department Instagram page @focoart regularly features public art projects. • Local Publications – The Fort Collins Coloradoan, Loveland Reporter Herald, Rocky Mountain Collegian, and The New Scene printed various photos and articles of APP Projects throughout the year. • Urban Design Awards – Projects at 222 Laporte and Prospect and Timberline received 2019 Urban Design Awards. • Web – The local community and visitors to Fort Collins continued to include stories on APP projects in their blogs and websites. Pianos About Town was featured in numerous YouTube videos. Art in Public Places Board members and Streets staff review over 300 Pedestrian Paver submissions from local youth. 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