St. Lucie County’s Art in Public Places invites the community to celebration activities for the 3rd Art With Out Walls (WOW3) Sculpture Exhibit on Saturday, March 5 at the Havert L. Fenn Center, 2000 Virginia Ave., starting at 9 a.m.
Activities begin with a free bus tour of the 12 WOW3 sculptures created by 17 artists: Jonathan Stivers Bowling, Jenene Doelman, Jorge Fernandez, Jon Neprud, Andrew F. Scott, Patrick Cochran, Douglas M. Makemson, Scott A. Sides, Anita Prentice, Terry Thommes, Jerry Daniels and FSU teacher John Raulerson with student artists: Mark Nathan Stafford, Windham Graves, Tyler Dearing, Johnny Hunt and Clint Shaw. The bus tour leaves the Fenn Center at 9 a.m. and returns at noon.
Following the bus tour, the public is invited to attend an “Artist’s Luncheon” and Symposium on “The Value of Public Art to a Community.” The luncheon starts at noon with the symposium starting at 1 p.m. in room 122 of the Fenn Center. Come out and “learn why art is important to building sustainable communities” from experts and guest speakers including: Harriet Senie, professor of contemporary art and director of museum studies from City University of New York; Barbara Luecke, a co-founder of the Fremont Solstice Parade and Art Program Manager for Sound Transit in Seattle; Terry Olsen, director of the Florida Association of Public Art Administrators from Orlando; and Jon Ward, who sits on the board of the Florida Council for Arts and Culture and is the director of the Fort Pierce Department of Urban Redevelopment.
Professor Senie, a leading authority on public art, is also the author of “Tilted Arc Controversy: Dangerous Precedent;” “Fabric into Art;” “Critical Issues in Public Art: Content, Context, and Controversy;” “Contemporary Public Sculpture: Tradition, Transformation, and Controversy;” and “Dancing in the Landscape: The Sculpture of Athena Tacha.”
Luecke oversees a $40 million public art program that integrates the work and thinking of artists into transit facilities across three counties in the greater Seattle area. She has produced many community art projects in Seattle, including “The Fremont Troll,” that are featured at the core of “Using Art to Build Community,” which was the “bible” for community development in Taiwan and a catalyst for numerous artist exchanges with the Seattle’s Fremont neighborhood.
As space is limited to 100 for the bus tour and luncheon, reservations are required. For more information and or reservations call Jeanne Johansen at 772-579-1529 or email jeannejohansen@comcast.net.
