Category: Public Art

Greenway Public Art: The Gateway of the Open Book Cornerstone

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Dabney Sanders: We knew from the early planning stages for the Downtown Greenway that we wanted public art to be a major component of this 4-mile loop.  We wanted those pieces of public art to represent city-wide themes that have been important in making Greensboro what it is today.  So we have commissioned the first artist to create a cornerstone with the theme of "Motion," called Gateway of the Open Book.  Rhode Island artist Brower Hatcher created that piece, and he collaborated with  local artist Frank Russell as well as students from local elementary and high schools represented by the Warnersville neighborhood, the closest neighborhood to Gateway of the Open Book. Frank Russell: It is always terrific to work with kids.  Kids have absolute raw, unedited creativity streaming out of them.  It is unfiltered, and they will tell you exactly what they see or feel or think, provided you can get them talking—and you have to get them talking.  Barbara brought coffee, and we actually gave them caffeine to elicit a response—with cookies and coffee and some time.  I think when people Peter’s age began to see one another participate, it encouraged them to loosen up and participate.  Peter was very outspoken and had terrific ideas on paper.  Kids are just creative genius.  We did not have to make up anything for these iconic images.  We created almost 40 images, and we actually used 25 in the sculpture itself.  They definitely brought their 'A' game.  We also played with some found objects that provided the idea of the four quarters of the moon and the sun. Peter Smith: Me and my friends, we drew pictures of the moon, the sun, the galaxy—all types of stuff.  It was the first time that I had worked with scrap metals.  We would go through copper, boxes of copper, and pipes.  There we started talking about the sculpture—phase one of it. Frank Russell: We were challenged.  We were invited to mention several things about the strengths of Greensboro, our city.  And I think education is one of the most powerful things that Greensboro has going.  We have so many colleges, so many universities.  So, to have it shaped as a book for knowledge and research and all the fun, excellent things that are going to be found in this particular book, from fish to rocket ships to flying saucers to a lot of great things, made sense.  These kids gave us these ideas. These kids told us what should be in the cornerstone. Peter Smith: It makes me feel wonderful because it was something that I took part in with me and my friends, and we did something for the community.

Public Art Selection

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Xandra Eden: I am Xandra Eden, Curator of Exhibitions at the Weatherspoon Art Museum at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.  The Weatherspoon Art Museum has one of the foremost collections of American and contemporary art in the Southeast.  It numbers almost 6,000 works, and we have a very active exhibition and public program schedule that draws audiences from many different parts of North Carolina, across the U.S., and internationally. So the Downtown Greenway public art selection panel has a really wonderful process.  The panel begins with more of an expansive look at the areas and the neighborhoods that the Greenway is passing through and who lives there. They also look at an appropriate model to take in developing art projects throughout the Greenway.  Then the panel moves toward an open call.  So we have artists who have submitted proposals from across the U.S. responding to these different ideas.  There are four different ideas that we are putting forward for the cornerstones.  We also have several different benches that have been created or proposed as well as other projects.  We are really working toward having an expansive and open submissions process. During the course of determining who the artist is at the committee meetings, we have really interesting discussions about what is most appropriate, how they could work with the communities, and what makes sense for us as a community.  Once we have decided on an artist that we think makes the most sense, then we move to another process that involves an open communication between the artist and the people who live in that community. It's a nice kind of open communication in all aspects of moving toward this project. We are always looking for new artists and fresh ideas for these projects that are coming up.  We are really excited that we have been able to partner with wonderful organizations such as the National Endowment for the Arts, the North Carolina Arts Council, the United Arts Council, and my own institution, the Weatherspoon Art Museum, as well as Elsewhere Collaborative in Downtown Greensboro.  With all of these arts organizations, with the community, and with people who live in these neighborhoods all contributing to what the Greenway is, it sets up a really welcoming experience for any artist who does a project here.  They have all come away with positive feelings about the project they did in Greensboro and all the different people they met, as well as the way they networked with other artists here and other people involved in collecting or curating art.  This process has been very beneficial for the artists as well as our community.

Downtown Greenway Cornerstones

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Dabney Sanders: We knew from the early planning stages for the Downtown Greenway that we wanted public art to be a major component of this 4-mile loop.  Certainly, we are interested in people enjoying it for health and recreation.  We are doing it to encourage economic development, but we also wanted to create something that was iconic for Greensboro and something that would really represent what Greensboro is as well as Greensboro’s rich history.  We have a number of different ways that we are accomplishing that goal with public art on the Greenway.  One of those ways is creating and commissioning four cornerstones that mark the corners of the 4-mile loop.  We wanted those pieces of public art to represent city-wide themes that have been important in making Greensboro what it is today.  So we have commissioned the first artist to create a cornerstone with the theme of "Motion," and it is called Gateway of the Open Book.  Rhode Island Artist Brower Hatcher created that piece, and he collaborated with local artist Frank Russell as well as students from local elementary and high schools represented by the Warnersville neighborhood, which is the closest neighborhood the Gateway of the Open Book. The Gateway of the Open Book looks at two things: the history and importance of transportation in this community and the intersection of railroads and a good highway system. At the same time, it also represents the role of education.  We have seven colleges and universities in Greensboro and Guilford County, and that is unusual for a community of our size.  We think the forward movement of people’s minds is an important part of not only who we are, but also who we want to be in the future. The other cornerstone themes will be "Freedom," which sits in the southeast corner of the loop and, of course, that looks at the role that Greensboro played in the National Civil Rights sit-in movement.  We have a cornerstone that will represent "Innovation"  in the northeast corner, looking toward where Cone Mills has operated and the historic White Oak Plant.  That cornerstone will represent the role that innovative industries have played in Greensboro and the role that both entrepreneurialism and innovation continue to play in defiing our community.  Tradition, the last cornerstone, is in the northwest corner and will look northwest toward the Battle of Guilford Court House, National Military Park and the role that Greensboro played in the revolutionary war.  All of those pieces of our history were important in helping to shape Greensboro today.

Cornerstone Call to Artists

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Action Greensboro is seeking submissions of interest and qualifications from professional artists who currently reside in the United States for the creation of the second of four major public art cornerstones to be commissioned for the Downtown Greenway in Greensboro, NC. Tradition Cornerstone (Northwest Cornerstone) The second Cornerstone to be commissioned will be the Tradition Cornerstone. It will be located on the Northwest corner of the Downtown Greenway at the corner of Prescott and West Smith Streets, Greensboro, NC, 27401—a highly visible site situated along the main corridor into Greensboro’s city center.  Northwest Greensboro was the site of a key battle and turning point of the Revolutionary War.  The theme for this Cornerstone was chosen in part to reflect that proximity.  At this location, the Greenway will also serve as an important connector to an extensive network of Greensboro Parks and Recreation greenways and facilities, including Country Park, the Natural Science Center, The Atlantic & Yadkin Greenway, and the Guilford Courthouse National Military Park. For more information and the formal Call to Artists, click here.  

Primary Flight Arrives in Greensboro!

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From Miami, FL, to Greensboro, NC - Primary Flight, the internationally acclaimed artist collective has arrived to spend weeks transforming the Spring Garden Street & Spring/Edgeworth overpasses on the Downtown Greenway. We welcome Michael Gran,  Chris Oh,  Raquel Raney and Peter Vahan! Check out a video of their arrival. We hope you'll take the time to meet Primary Flight while in Greensboro.  Primary Flight in Greensboro Events:   MOVIE: Beautiful Losers - Wednesday, April 25 from 7:30–9:30 pm ($5 at door) Triad Stage Upstage Cabaret - 232 South Elm Street A documentary following a collective group of DIY artists who affected the art world   LECTURE: Primary Flight - Thursday, April 26 from 7:00–8:00 pm Weatherspoon Art Museum - Corner of Spring Garden and Tate Streets A traditional artist talk exploring the work of these Miami-based artists   CONVERSATION: Primary Flight - Wednesday, May 2 from 8:30–9:30 pm Elsewhere - 606 South Elm Street A sidewalk conversation with Primary Flight held in Elsewhere's front window theater, and moderated by Stephanie Sherman (Elsewhere) and Barbara Peck (Downtown Greenway)   OPENING: Sunday, May 6 from 2:00–5:00 pm, Downtown Greenway Greenway at Morehead Park (Spring Garden Street & Spring/Edgeworth overpasses) Come join us on Sunday, May 6 from 2:00–5:00 pm to see this fun piece of public art!   Special Thanks to: * Triad Stage * North Carolina Arts Council * United Arts Council of Greater Greensboro * The Sherwin Williams Company * Ironlak * Volvo Equipment Rental * Action Greensboro/The Downtown Greenway * Elsewhere * Weatherspoon Art Museum  

Public Art Consultant Jack Becker Unites Greensboro in Considering Futures for Public Art

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Greensboro is pleased to welcome Jack Becker, Director of Forecast Public Art (Minneapolis, MN), for two speaking engagements on Public Art as Civic Catalyst.  The project represents a partnership between The Public Art Endowment, The Downtown Greenway, Elsewhere, and the Weatherspoon Art Museum—an exciting collaboration of organizations working together to build public art and creative community in Greensboro. Jack Becker will discuss the complex, beneficial, and sometimes contentious role that art plays in the public realm.  Becker will also discuss the ways public art and community participation contribute significantly to the identity of a city.  He will broadly address the role of the more than 350 public art programs in the United States working at the federal, state, city, and county levels, as well as transit and aviation programs nationally.  He will also offer reflections on the scale of budget allocations that make public art possible and beneficial. Becker is the founder and Director of Forecast Public Art, a public art generator based in Minneapolis, Minnesota.  Forecast is the publisher of Public Art Review (a public art magazine), the distributor of grants and commissions to the local Minneapolis/ St. Paul artist community, and a leading consultancy for building community interest and investment through a public process for public art. He will be at the Weatherspoon Art Museum Auditorium on Saturday, November 12 from 2:00–4:00 pm.  The event is free and open to the public.

Artist Call for Neighborhood Bench Project

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NEIGHBORHOOD BENCH PROJECT The Budget: The budget for the design, fabrication, and installation of this project is $5,000. A Public Art initiative has been established to integrate art into the design and construction process of the Downtown Greenway.  An artist-designed and/or fabricated bench will represent each of the 12 different neighborhoods or areas that the Greenway route travels through.  The artist will be asked to work with the community and its members to capture the essence of the neighborhood’s past, present, and/or future. This will be the third neighborhood bench to be commissioned for the Greenway.  It will be located on a section of the Greenway known as Phase 3A, and will sit on a triangular park at the intersection of Eugene and Smith Street and Battleground Avenue (area outlined in red below).  The design and fabrication of the bench will require that the artist work with representatives from Withers and Ravenel, the civil and environmental engineering firm that has been hired as a consultant for the Greenway.  The artist will also be asked to collaborate with residents from Greensboro’s Fisher Park neighborhood through a Community Meeting to incorporate concepts generated by that collaboration into the design of the bench. For more information, click here to see the full RFP.