FLORIDA KEYS COUNCIL OF THE ARTS BUILDING (GATO CUBAN CIGAR FACTORY) 1100 SIMONTON ST.
Pine Island artist Sandra Priest accompanied her two massive works that were delivered to Key West on Tuesday. The installations are two 8-ton pieces of concrete from the World Trade Center, polished and engraved by the artist. The pieces are part of the city’s Art in Public Places project. One piece was delivered to the Old Firehouse Museum on Virginia Street where its official unveiling will he held on 9/11.
The second piece will be placed on the sea floor next to the USS Vandenberg, which was sunk in 2009 as an artificial reef.
The art installations commemorate the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attacks in 2001 that killed nearly 3,000 people, including 343 New York City firefighters who died saving other victims.
In the photo: Artist Sandra Priest, Mayor Teri Johnston, Commissioner Sam Kaufman, Fire Chief Alan Averette, Commissioner Billy Wardlow and his grandson, Commissioner Clayton Lopez, Art in Public Places Administrator Liz Young, and the Old Firehouse Museum Director Alex Vega.
We made the front page! Here is an article on our latest Art in Public Places projects. Written by THERESA JAVA of the Key West Citizen TJAVA@KEYSNEWS.COM
Seven artists have been selected to create original works to adorn Monroe County’s new 48,240-square-foot Plantation Key government center and courthouse months ahead of its anticipated opening later this year.
The Art in Public Places Committee selected the art in May after professional artists were invited to a site visit as part of the bidding process in late April.
The five volunteer Art in Public Places members who represent each district in Monroe County are Susann D’Antonio, Eric Anderson, Jeffrey Harwell, Beth Kaminstein and Cristy Spottswood.
Circuit Court Judge Luis Garcia, Trial Court Administrator Holly Elomina and Clerk of the Court Kevin Madok also were part of the selection process as stakeholders, or people who will see the installed artwork every day. The selected artists are Christian Eckhart of Houston, Texas; Maureen Melville of Maclean, Virginia; Dayton Claudio of Chico, California; Lori Nozick of Miami; and Monroe County residents John David Hawver, Sally Binard and Lothar Speer.
The projects have been budgeted for $209,000 and spaces for the artwork were established early on. Places for a sculpture in the foyer or a painting between the elevators were designed long before the construction began.
“We work with the architect and the project management to find the space. We meet once a month. It’s a lot of work. It’s amazing the work it takes to get a painting in a building. It’s a wonderful thing that our community supports and embraces the arts. We are fortunate,” said Liz Young, executive director of the Florida Keys Council of the Arts, which serves as staff to the Art in Public Places Committee.
“These pieces are permanently commissioned, one-of-a-kind public art in the courthouse when it opens, and at the moment, these artists are beginning their unique projects for the courthouse. All the artwork is sustainable and beautiful, and the artists were honored and thrilled to be creating site-specific artwork in the Upper Keys. The artwork chosen reflects in color and style, the vibrant nature and history of the Florida Keys.”
The Art in Public Places Committee was established in 2001 by the Monroe County Commission to purchase and install artwork in any new major county construction or renovation with a budget equal to 1% of construction costs.
Selected local artist Speer, without disclosing what his project is, said inspiration for his work comes from the unique history and culture brought to the Keys by Bahamian immigrants.
“It’s a fair process and it started long before any of us artists were selected. You have to qualify as an artist to be on the list or on the registry. No artist would be able to gain any advantage. It was super fair,” he said of the bidding process. “A bunch of artists who were considering applying responded and took a tour of the building. We all had to wear hardhats and be mindful of where we were stepping. We toured the new courthouse and saw the spaces that were designated for artwork. We walked the building to give us an idea of where the artwork in relation to the building is supposed to go.”
The Art in Public Places program has more than 185 artists pre-qualified to propose work as projects become available. The Arts in Public Places Committee recently installed artwork in Marathon’s new public library, including “Keys Whimsy,” a suspended sculpture by local artist team Trentlage and Darcy Ferrill. In the facility’s Adult Education Center lobby is “Sea Bubbles,” a ceramic and glass work created by South Florida artists Carlos Alves and J.C. Carroll.
At the Cudjoe Key Fire Station, the committee selected McMow Glass artists to install a “Homage to the Firefighters” stained-glass pieces that include “Welcome home” surrounding the front door, “Station 11” badge on the side door and “Heroes” at the entrance to the engine bays.
MORE NEWS FROM THE FLORIDA KEYS COUNCIL OF THE ARTS UP SHORTLY
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