Dublin Bicentennial Public Artwork
Selection Committee Awards Commission to Brower Hatcher
Watch the Brower Hatcher Bicentennial Art Presentation
DUBLIN, Ohio— (Feb. 9, 2010) At the Feb. 8, 2010 Dublin City Council meeting,
Dublin Arts Council (DAC) Executive Director David S. Guion announced that the
Dublin Bicentennial Public Art selection committee has chosen the recipient of the
project’s $150,000 all-inclusive commission; artist Brower Hatcher, who works
from Mid-Ocean Studio in Providence, R.I.
Hatcher’s artistic concept is to build the memory of the historic George M. Karrer blacksmith shop that once stood on the Karrer Barn property, 225 S. High St., in Historic Dublin. The property is owned by the city and was selected as the site for the Bicentennial Public Artwork installation. Hatcher proposes building the old foundation with the hearth, an anvil and the historic wheelwright table to recreate the image of the building as a digital matrix in powder-coated metal rod with reflective discs creating the effects of dissolution and of light. The artist envisions the approximate 13-foot-square, 16-foot-tall structure as a sophisticated trellis, which could be allowed to support a growth of climbing vines to periodically hide the structure. Therein lies an opportunity for community involvement to “reveal Dublin’s history” by allowing the vines to be cut back to reveal the ghost of the blacksmith shop. The optical tapestry of the open structure will allow the artist to imbed a number of forged artifacts, such as a wagon wheel and blacksmith tools, in the matrix framework.
If the final approval process proceeds according to plan, the artist anticipates
that the artwork could be completed and installed during October 2010.
Hatcher’s proposal was chosen by the Dublin Bicentennial Public Artwork
selection committee of five voting members including community representative
Mark Emerson, who has extensive monument and art gallery experience; DAC
board member and engineer John Losco; Gayle Holton, Dublin Historical Society
representative and graphic designer; Irene Finck, a Columbus-based public art
consultant and former program coordinator of the Percent for Art Program
through the Office of Individual Creativity with Ohio Arts Council; and Todd
Slaughter, a Columbus public artist and Ohio State University professor who
created Watch House for the Dublin Art in Public Places program in 1998. Sara Ott,
City of Dublin’s senior project manager participated as a non-voting ex officio
committee member. Guion also served on the committee in an advisory, nonvoting
capacity.
Deliberations concluded after a Feb. 4 presentation during which all three artist finalists presented their proposals to more than 50 members of the community and the selection committee. Audience members were encouraged to ask questions of the artists and leave comment cards upon departure for review by the selection committee as part of their confidential deliberation process. The committee deliberated for more than three hours.
“I am so impressed with the selection committee,” said Guion. “They were
each chosen to bring a specific perspective to the process, and that’s exactly what
they did. Deliberations took into consideration the preferences expressed by the
community and deeply probed the technical aspects of each proposal. Members
of the committee brought forth their expertise in discussions of the artw0rks’
expected durability, safety, potential for deterioration, choice of materials and
their structural integrity, and whether the proposal was executable as submitted.
The committee explored the long-term implications of the artwork, both
structurally and aesthetically, and considered the educational potential for the
community. Each selection committee member is to be congratulated for a job
well done.”
The other two proposals included an earthern berm edged by an upright 18- ft., wagon wheel configured of braided Corten steel by artist Thomas Sayre of Clearscapes Architecture of Raleigh, N.C. Artist Suikang Zhao of New York City proposed a stacked glass wall, evocative of the rock walls that surround Dublin, embedded with subtle interactive lighting and writings about the site’s history. The artists and the selection committee reviewed, and carefully considered, extensive public comments about the project, which were collected in November and December of 2009 as part of the process.
City Council will consider a resolution at its February 22 meeting to authorize the city manager to enter into an agreement with the recommended artist. Additionally, it is anticipated that City Council will act upon finalizing the review process and any involvement by boards and commissions at this meeting. The Dublin Art in Public Places program is administered by Dublin Arts Council and is funded, in part, through an endowment of Bed Tax funds from the City of Dublin.
For more information about any of Dublin Arts Council’s programs, exhibitions and events, call (614) 889-7444 or visit www.dublinarts.org. Dublin Arts Council (DAC), is located at 7125 Riverside Dr. in Dublin, Ohio. Hours are Tues., 10am-7pm; Wed./Thurs./Fri., 10am–5pm; and Sat., 11am-2pm. DAC is supported in part by the City of Dublin’s Hotel/Motel tax endowment and the Ohio Arts Council, which helps fund Dublin Arts Council and its programs with state tax dollars to encourage economic growth, educational excellence and cultural enrichment for all Ohioans. DAC is further supported by individuals, corporations, foundations and through in-kind contributions. DAC engages the community, cultivates creativity and fosters life-long learning through the arts.
More about the artist:
Brower Hatcher was born in Atlanta. He attended Vanderbilt University School of Engineering in Nashville, Tenn., and received his degree in Industrial Design from Pratt Institute in New York. He then studied sculpture at St. Martins School of Art in London with Sir Anthony Caro and William Tucker. He was on the faculty at St. Martins for several years and returned to the United States to join the faculty of Bennington College, Bennington, Vt., where he taught until 1986. He has built more than 30 public art projects throughout the country since that time. Brower Hatcher is a recipient of three National Endowment for the Arts Fellowships, a Guggenheim Fellowship and an honorary Ph.D. from the State University of New York. He works at the historic Steel Yard in Providence, R.I., as the artistic director of Mid-Ocean Studio Inc. He lives in Block Island, R.I., and New York City.
Dublin Bicentennial Public Artwork: Artists’ final presentations scheduled for Feb. 4, 2010
The three artist finalists for the Dublin Bicentennial Public Artwork project will present their proposals to the selection committee and the community on Thursday, Feb. 4, 2010 from 6 to 9 p.m. in the Abbey Theater, 5600 Post Rd., inside the Dublin Community Recreation Center.
The three finalists for the $150,000 commission were chosen last month by a selection committee which includes a Dublin community representative, a representative of the Dublin Historical Society, a DAC board member, a public artist and a public art expert. The committee reviewed comprehensive application materials from a national pool of 119 applicants representing 27 states for nearly two weeks before meeting to thoughtfully deliberate and select the finalists, which include:
The artists include:
Brower Hatcher
Hatcher is a Providence, R.I., public artist with more than 25 years of experience building more than 40 large-scale public art projects. His sculptures are often ‘cellular matrixes’ that create prismatic effects, further enhanced by an embedded cloud of artifacts that relate to a site’s influences and culture, resulting in landmark public art that enhances the sense of community and place. Hatcher works at the historic Steel Yard in Providence as the artistic director of Mid-Ocean Studios, Inc.
Thomas Sayre
Based in Raleigh, N.C., Sayre co-founded the multidisciplinary design firm, Clearscapes architecture and art, in 1980. As a sculptor, he has been involved in the design and construction of more than 30 projects, ranging from children’s museums to historic renovations. Sayre works in a variety of permanent materials, including concrete, stone, terrazzo, fiberglass and glass marbles. His projects are a result of the confluence of site, budget, social and cultural context and the perceived spirit of the project.
Suikang Zhao
Mr. Zhao, who lives in New York City, is an assistant professor in the Fine Arts Department at State University of New York. His public artworks are not meant to decorate the space, but rather are rooted in the existing architectural concept. Layering context is the key to the artist’s inspiration. Through his artwork, Zhao re-thinks visual elements in terms of displaced environments and minds in the context of today’s world. Zhao’s public artworks are integrated into the organic structure of a particular space and reflect both the cultural / social environment of the region and the people.
The finalists will each be given up to 45 minutes to present their detailed site-specific proposals, which are anticipated to include digital and physical representations of the projects and a project timeline. Members of the community are invited to attend and will be encouraged to submit comment cards for review by the selection committee, which will meet immediately after the presentations to deliberate. Questions from the audience will be taken via cards submitted to a moderator. The artists and the selection committee will also have reviewed public comments about the project, which are being collected by DAC and the City of Dublin through Dec. 18.
Feb. 5 is being held as an alternate date for deliberations to continue if the selection committee is unable to reach consensus the evening of the presentations. DAC anticipates notifying the winner of the commission and the community the week of Feb. 8.
The location for the installation of the original, permanent, site-specific public artwork is the Karrer Barn property, 225 S. High St., in Historic Dublin, which is owned by the city. The artwork is being commissioned by DAC in recognition of the City of Dublin’s 2010 Bicentennial.
The Dublin Art in Public Places program is administered by Dublin Arts Council and is funded, in part, through an endowment of Bed Tax funds from the City of Dublin.
or more information about any of Dublin Arts Council’s programs, exhibitions and events, call (614) 889-7444 or visit www.dublinarts.org.
Community feedback solicited through Dec. 18 | Artist proposals to be presented in January – February 2010
Dublin Arts Council (DAC) and the City of Dublin are seeking feedback from members of the community to help the artist finalists better understand residents’ perspective about the Karrer Barn property, 225 S. High St., in Historic Dublin. The property is the chosen location for the installation of an original, permanent, site-specific public artwork being commissioned by DAC in recognition of the City of Dublin’s 2010 Bicentennial.
Three finalists for the $150,000 commission were chosen from a national pool of applicants last month by a selection committee which includes a Dublin community representative, a representative of the Dublin Historical Society, a DAC board member, a public artist and a public art expert. More information about the finalists and the selection committee can be found at www.dublinarts.org.
There are several ways that members of the community can offer feedback:
-
From 2 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 15, recollections, memories, and stories will be videotaped at the Dublin Chamber of Commerce Building, 129 S. High St. DAC and the City ask that statements be limited to 5 minutes. While an RSVP is not required to participate, a time may be reserved by e-mailing dball@dublin.oh.us.
-
Written feedback can be provided via online posting at http://dublinartscouncil.wordpress.com from Dec. 4 through Dec. 18.
Taped and written comments will be provided to the artists and selection committee. The comments will be considered public record.
Once community input has been gathered, the presentation of the artists’ detailed proposals will be re-scheduled. The original Dec. 15 date has been postponed, and DAC expects that final presentations will take place between mid-January and mid-February 2010.
The Dublin Art in Public Places program is administered by Dublin Arts Council and is funded, in part, through an endowment of Bed Tax funds from the City of Dublin.
For more information about any of Dublin Arts Council’s programs, exhibitions and events, call (614) 889-7444 or visit www.dublinarts.org. Dublin Arts Council (DAC), is located at 7125 Riverside Dr. in Dublin, Ohio. Hours are Tues., 10am-7pm; Wed./Thurs./Fri., 10am–5pm; and Sat., 11am-2pm. DAC is supported in part by the City of Dublin’s Hotel/Motel tax endowment and the Ohio Arts Council, which helps fund Dublin Arts Council and its programs with state tax dollars to encourage economic growth, educational excellence and cultural enrichment for all Ohioans. DAC engages the community, cultivates creativity and fosters life-long learning through the arts.