It's a bird! It's a plane! It's a ... giant wave made of wood? No, your eyes are not playing tricks on you. It's all a part of Art in Place, a local project aiming to display art on the many roadways of Charlottesville.
Art in Place began five years ago when a friend of Elizabeth Breeden, the founder and a local Charlottesville resident, suggested the idea. The goal for the project was simple -- to get art visible around Charlottesville. To do this, the non-profit organization selects about 10 artists' sculptures each year. These sculptures are then placed along various roadways in Charlottesville.
The most visible work to students is the blue and orange geometric-looking sculpture titled "Mountain Landscape" along Barracks Road. Or perhaps you have seen the rustic, wing-looking sculpture "Rorschach" near Stadium Road. All of the pieces can be found on the projects Web site, where you can learn about the artist and location of the piece, along with an artist statement.
The selection process takes place each year in July. Artists submit their resumes and a sketch of their sculpture to a selection panel, who will ultimately decide what works are put up. There are six board members, one of which is Breeden. Four others also make up the selection team. They rotate from year to year and usually include one citizen with some political experience, a professor, an artist and a local gallery owner.
After being selected, each artist is given until November to create their works. Some have very unique ways of doing so. Many students have wondered at the wave sculpture on McIntire Road. Christopher Fennell, the artist, actually used wood from a local demolished barn, where he then constructed it piece by piece on site.
The sculptures remain for only one year. After this time, many are either sold or moved to other similar exhibits around the country. Some works have even been bought by the city. The piece titled "The Biker" is one such work that now is permanently placed along McIntire Road. This was one of the first works selected for the project, created by a local doctor.
At the beginning, most of the selected works were submitted by locals, many of them teachers. Each artist was given $300 when chosen. The project has since grown, attracting more artists from all along the east coast. Each artist now also receives $1300, thanks to increased outside funding for the project.
Breeden obviously has much to be excited about, as the project continues to grow each year. In the plans is a sculpture park where a walking area will display more works, including the opportunity for smaller pieces.
Despite the growth of Art in Place, local response to the project has not been all positive. Some residents have questioned the artistic merit of a few of the pieces. Some have been pinned as having a religious message, being too distracting or just plain ugly. The judges are always cautious about the works they select, but it goes to show that you can't please everyone.
Breeden, however, would love to see a similar project started at the University. Without the constraints of the city and locals, the works could be edgier, perhaps more political or include social commentary. Art around Grounds would be a great way to continue the Art in Place project and its aim of increasing the visibility of art around Charlottesville.
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