As Harry Knabb stands at the corner of Sixth and Trade streets in the heart of the Downtown Arts District, he takes a second to look up.
“We call this the Art Tower,” he says, pointing to a 17-foot-tall structure made of metal and concrete. “This thing is solid, man. It’s going to be here a long time.”
Embellished with paintings and crowned by a metal fish, the Art Tower is the latest public art project brought forth by Arts for Arts Sake (The AFAS Group), a nonprofit organization that supports local artists. Knabb, who serves as president of AFAS, says the group has made public art its top priority in recent years, using a mix of grants and private funds to commission local artists for their creativity.
In just a few years, the group has colored downtown with more than a dozen murals, sculptures, and other works through its public arts initiative.
“We think it’s important to have art that’s available for everyone,” Knabb says. “People are sometimes intimidated to go in galleries to see art, but everyone has access to public art. It’s free; you don’t have to dress up nice to see it. It’s really a quality-of-life thing.”
Studies also show that public art can create a sense of place in one’s community.
A 2012 report by The Knight Foundation surveyed nearly 50,000 people in 43 cities and found that aesthetics and social offerings (including public art) ranked extremely high in a “driver of attachment” to a place (higher than education, the economy, and public safety).
Marianne DiNapoli-Mylet has seen the community that public art can create firsthand. A local artist and muralist, DiNapoli-Mylet has painted some of the city’s most prized and prominent scenes, including a number of murals downtown. She moved to Winston-Salem in 1989 by way of New Jersey and brought the “mural-fever” with her. Not only did she paint some of the Arts District’s first murals, she also wrote the grants to fund the works.
These days, DiNapoli-Mylet often sees others admiring her works from the windows of her Trade Street studio.
“It’s always fun when someone stops and takes a photo with something I created,” she says. “They probably don’t even know who I am or that I made it, but I’m thrilled that they’re enjoying the work.”
She stresses community involvement with most of her murals, allowing the public to have a hand in their creation. She recently started an arts-based nonprofit called POWAR! (People of Winston-Salem Art Reclamation Program) that introduces art and mural techniques to at-risk middle- and high-school students. Among the group’s art projects are several murals downtown (including a lovable alien mural on the side of Lucky Strike Boutique). Why does she feel public art is important for the city?
“Because it’s the people’s art, and it’s something they can take pride in,” she says. “It can help distinguish Winston-Salem from all the other places in America.”
Still Not Enough?
Despite the efforts DiNapoli-Mylet and groups like AFAS, there’s still a sentiment that Winston-Salem isn’t living up to its billing as the “City of the Arts”—at least not in terms of public art. It’s something Eric Elliott has heard a lot through the years.
A local advocate for public arts, Elliott was once the head of a public-arts exploratory committee in Winston-Salem. He says that while the city has made progress in the way of public art, it still lags behind other similarly-sized cities.
“For a city that’s blessed with an outsized amount of art institutions, Winston-Salem has been behind the curve on its commitment to public art,” Elliott says. “One problem is that we have no foundation fund for public-art purchases, even though we have great foundation support for the arts. Most of the Arts Council funding goes to local institutions (not projects). Other towns smaller than us—Cary, Hickory—have public-art commissions to help guide and get citizen input on how art can shape their place.”
With that said, he’s quick to note the formation of Creative Corridors Coalition (CCC) has been a step in the right direction. Composed of local architects and community leaders, the nonprofit was established a few years ago with a mission of enhancing downtown roadways with creative elements. Most of its focus centers on a one-mile stretch of Business 40, which, in 2016, is set to undergo a $70 million makeover. The CCC wants to use the project as a chance to create a series of artworks that will leave an “indelible impression” for all those entering the city. Ideas have included artistic lighting, artwork, architecture, and landscaping that could cost between $5 and $10 million. CCC officials say they’ll soon begin writing grant applications and seeking private donations for the project.
Another grass-roots group has its eyes set on the historic RJR smokestacks rising over downtown. The group wants to repurpose the iconic 14-story smokestacks to create one of the world’s largest kaleidoscopes.
The city of Winston-Salem is also on board with the idea of more public artwork, as they recently announced plans to commission a piece of public art to mark the city’s centennial. The artist selected will receive $30,000 to create the work, which will be used to highlight the city’s history. Elliott hopes projects like this will help draw attention to the dramatic effect public art can have on a place.
“Public artwork helps reveal what a place values, what it memorializes, and how it feels about itself in the world,” he says. “It’s why so often public art comes to be place-makers as well as place markers. It’s ultimately a celebration of life itself.”
Speak Your Mind