Augusta arts plan needs public to define it – The Augusta Chronicle

A pair of Augusta University professors is making sure the citys latest public art venture doesnt lose sight of what matters most the community the art represents.

Augusta voters approved $1 million to install public art such as larger sculptures along city gateways, and tax payers dollars helped fund Greater Augusta Arts Councils new public arts master plan, which was approved by the Augusta Commission. The plan calls for numerous forms of public art to go in various locations in and around downtown Augusta.

Public art might be a sculpture or group of them, monuments, murals, displays of light or water, fountains, mosaics, paintings, public music and performance or something interactive that moves, said Scott Thorp, chairman of the art and design department at Augusta University.

Public art occupies a public space and is publicly owned, or at least very publicly visible, Thorp said. It provides a free experience for the public, and is generally publicly supported, he said.

In a lot of peoples minds, what public art means is that its paid by taxpayers money, he said, but beyond that, public art may be controversial as it seeks to be memorable.

Its telling people this is who we are; this is what we want you to remember us by, Thorp said. Its not going to appeal to everyone, and its not expected to do so, but it is expected to attract attention.

Before Augusta can launch the program, it has to figure out what it is, and has employed AU Associate Professor William Hatcher, director of the Masters of Public Administration program, to ensure the public is engaged.

Hatcher said all public policies, including public art, must be effective, efficient and fair.

With public art decisions you want public input that is both meaningful and representative of a community. You want public art to be based on a communitys identity, he said.

The department continues to solicit input through surveys and forums, including a Tuesday forum for local artists, who have been among the programs critics.

Augustas slim stock of existing public art has made development of the new program a slow process, Thorpe added.

We havent really had a lot to appreciate, so were having a hard time getting going with what our community wants, he said.

The master plans survey of existing public art found just 42 examples across Augusta ranging from 19th-century monuments and murals on the city waterworks to the citys last large foray into public art, Springfield Village Park.

The survey found only 13 examples downtown, far fewer than art-infused cities such as Asheville, N.C., and Greenville, S.C. Downtown Augustas public art examples included the James Brown and James Oglethorpe statues, the Confederate Monument and the Haunted Pillar, which a driver knocked down last year.

The list did not include 11 Art the Box painted downtown traffic signal boxes commissioned by the Arts Council that are among the citys most popular, Thorp said.

If theres a lesson to learn from Springfield Village Park, Thorp said it might be to budget a maintenance plan.

Built as part of a 1990s downtown revitalization, the $6 million publicly and privately-funded park features two sculptures by renowned Chicago sculptor Richard Hunt, Tower of Inspiration and And They Went Down Both to the Water, yet the bronze fountain and reflecting pool dont function and most days the park sits empty.

The park adjoins historic black Springfield Baptist Church and opened in parallel with the Georgia Golf Hall of Fame and botanical gardens, which the state shortly defunded and the city ceased to maintain.

With the Georgia Cyber Innovation and Training Center going up rapidly at the former gardens, Springfield Village Park is being eyed in the master plan for more installations tied to others across Reynolds Street. The master plan also suggests a sculpture garden surrounding historic Trinity CME Church, which preservationists are fighting to save, or sculpture trails lining the Augusta Canal or around downtown. The plan posits that Augusta Recreation and Parks would maintain the carefully curated installations.

The master plan also suggests a monumental piece with a big budget, such as an abstract representation of James Brown and his music, or a Savannah rapids fall-line theme, done by a nationally-recognized artist.

Public art can include whats currently a more controversial element, the Art Car project being funded by local golf car manufacturer Textron thats sure to drive discussion Tuesday.

But a more accessible piece can help enamor the public as Augusta develops its public art program, Thorp said.

You have to walk people up the ladder. You dont start like New York and Chicago by putting large-scale controversial works up, he said.

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Augusta arts plan needs public to define it - The Augusta Chronicle