CARBONDALE, Ill. (AP) - In just a few months, the Strip will feature several new functional and decorative works of art.
Carbondale Community Arts is currently accepting proposals for a public art initiative geared toward beautifying the city’s downtown.
The city-funded permanent installation, also overseen by the Southern Illinois University School of Art and Design, will run along South Illinois Avenue between Mill Street and Cherry Street.
The initiative calls for functional art pieces, such as bicycle racks and benches, along with small-scale sculptures, large-scale sculptures, and decorative pieces.
Organizers chose the Shawnee National Forest as the project’s theme because Carbondale is the “gateway” to that park, said CCA Executive Director Lisa Janssen.
“It could be interpreted in so many different ways, so I think we’re just looking forward to seeing what the proposals are,” Janssen said. “At the same time, it is kind of uniting everything around a central theme, which will make everything cohesive.”
The exact cost of the project has not yet been determined but it is expected to be somewhere in the $50,000 range, with a $6,000 cap on each individual work, allowing for six to eight large pieces, Janssen said.
The deadline for proposals was Feb. 28, and semi-finalists will give more in-depth presentations of their ideas in April. The project is on schedule to be completed by Aug. 4, in time for the total solar eclipse expected to bring thousands of visitors to the area.
City Manager Gary Williams said integrating art into the city’s downtown has been a topic of discussion for the past two or three years. With the City Council’s approval of the Downtown Master Plan, a revitalization project that includes new bicycle paths and streetscape renovations, it seemed like the timing was right to move forward with the project, Williams said.
City leaders hope to extend the initiative to other parts of Carbondale in later phases, although plans are far from definite.
“I think the real value of this first phase is that we introduce it to the public. I think we can generate some excitement about it and then hopefully we can build some momentum and generate additional interest to do other pieces, not just in our downtown, but community-wide,” Williams said.
Starting the project on South Illinois Avenue made the most sense, Janssen said.
“From Mill to Cherry, that’s kind of the nucleus of the town. I know that the streetscape enhancement project is going to expand beyond Cherry Street to the north half of downtown, so that will certainly be another opportunity. I think the art will really enhance the landscape . and it will hopefully attract other businesses that want to start up downtown,” Janssen said.
“One of the things that we’ve said as we’ve met over the years, something that we always comment on, is there are certain cities you can go to that, if they have a good art school or an art college or a certain museum, you see the work of those artists throughout the community,” Williams said. “So those assets end up being synonymous with the city.”
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CCA expects to include artists from SIU’s metalsmithing program.
“It’s actually probably one of our star programs that often goes under the radar . but when you drive through Carbondale you would be hard-pressed to find any evidence that (that program) is here,” Williams said.
Any number of recently revitalized downtowns feature functional pieces like benches or bike racks branded with city logos, but Carbondale’s art will be custom made, Williams said.
“I’m not sure that I’ve been to a downtown that I recall that you see that kind of uniqueness,” he said.
Janssen hopes the project will encourage foot and cyclist traffic - and that it will give pedestrians a chance to have aesthetic experiences.
“It’s a way to bring art out of the museum or the theater or the gallery. It’s a way for people to experience art in their everyday lives, whether they’re seeking it out or not. I think it will really enhance their sense of place, their pride in their community, to have these beautiful and functional pieces downtown,” Janssen said.
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Source: The (Carbondale) Southern Illinoisan, https://bit.ly/2lhNZYO
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Information from: Southern Illinoisan, https://www.southernillinoisan.com
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