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Project Update
Project Update
A new public artwork is coming to North Asheville!
The City of Asheville has commissioned artists Nick Geurts and Alex Irvine to design a new piece of public art that will grace the site of the new Broadway Public Safety Station.
We asked for your input, and put it to a vote--will the new art be a Playable Harp or a Sculptural Swing?
The votes were tallied, and the winner is...
The Playable Harp
Now it's time to start creating! Alex and Nick will complete the design and engineering of the sculpture, and installation will start later this summer after the grand opening of the building.
The Playable Harp
Tile-Making Success!
The City held several tile-making events this spring, graciously hosted by Odyssey Clayworks. Each event was a huge success and a lot of fun! Asheville turned out to craft clay tiles that will be installed on the sculpture. Thank you to everyone who made it out and contributed their time and inspiration to the project. And thank you to Odyssey Clayworks.
Upcoming Events
Tile-Making: a Neighborhood Event
Tile-Making: a Neighborhood Event
When: Saturday, July 8th | 10am to 1pm
Where: Ballet Conservatory of Asheville; 6 E. Chestnut Street
Details:
Come out to Five-Points and let the creativity flow! We had so much fun at our previous tile-making events that we decided we needed to do it one more time. This time we'll be in the neighborhood right next to the Broadway Public Safety Station project site. We'll cut and hand decorate raw clay tiles that will be used in the Public Artwork that will be installed on the site of the new building. Stop by for a minute... or come and stay awhile.
Project Background
Project Background
The Broadway Public Safety Station is currently under construction at 316 Broadway Street. When completed, in Summer 2023, the facility will be home to Fire Station 13, a police substation and an Emergency Operations Center. In addition, the project also includes a Percent for Art allocation to fund the commission of new public art.
A Call for Artists was issued earlier this year, and local artists Nick Geurts and Alex Irvine were selected for the commission. They are tasked with creating an artwork that is inclusive, accessible and engaging. The team submitted three preliminary concepts: all concrete forms with tile mosaic and an interactive element.
Through community engagement and public art survey, the two concepts were narrowed down to the Harp and the Swing. The two selected concepts have been refined and the renderings presented for a final community vote. Upon selection of either the Harp or the Swing, the design and engineering of the structure will be finalized and fabrication will begin. Installation will occur in late summer 2023.
The Artists
The Artists
Alex Irvine is an Asheville ceramics and concrete artisan. His work can be found all over town, including the Daydreamer on the Aloft hotel parking garage downtown, the Odyssey sculptural mural in the River Arts District, the mosaic rings at New Belgium Brewery, and historic statue reproductions at the Biltmore Estate, just to name a few. At the Foundation Skateable Sculpture Park in the RAD, Irvine has led collaborative design/build projects leaning heavily on community input and volunteer labor for over a decade.
Nick Geurts has been creating large scale interactive public artworks for the past 6 years. As a practicing structural engineer for over 18 years, Geurts has always loved the more challenging structural engineering problems. His portfolio includes 7 of his own public art commissions which he designed, engineered, fabricated, and installed, plus over a hundred public art projects around the country that he has engineered, fabricated and/or installed for other artists.
Geurts prides himself on designing immersive, participatory art, with the goal of instilling a sense of child-like wonder in the greater community. He incorporates a multitude of materials and robust light and sound-based systems to engage the participants in his art. His passion is to create art that invokes a sense of discovery, play, wonder and learning for children and adults alike. Each project encourages participants to approach the art and discover something completely unexpected.
Contact
Contact
For more information on this project please contact:
Capital Projects, Building Construction
Office: 828-747-1976
If you would like to know more about the City of Asheville's Public Art Program, please contact:
Urban Designer and Public Art Coordinator
Office: 828-259-5627
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