Fourth Biennial Sculpture Exhibition

Public Art Chattanooga will install seven new outdoor sculptures

By Ann Nichols

annsnichols@aol.com

Since 2005, Public Art Chattanooga has installed rotating exhibitions of outdoor sculpture along the First Street Corridor and other prominent public green spaces in the downtown area.

The fourth exhibition in this series, composed of seven new sculptures, can be seen April 2010 through October 2011. The works were chosen by members of the Public Art Committee, which was appointed by Mayor Ron Littlefield. Public Art Chattanooga is a program of the City of Chattanooga's Parks and Recreation Department.

Beginning in January 2009, the committee met many times to review more than 900 proposals submitted by 94 artists from across the United States, The Netherlands and Poland. In selecting potential pieces, the committee looked first for artistic excellence, followed by appropriate sites for individual works and maintainability in regard to weather, vandalism, durability and safety. In addition, the committee members wanted to choose pieces that represented a diversity of materials, styles and techniques.

Peggy Townsend, director of Public Art Chattanooga, said that the competion attracted some really fine, established, professional sculptors.

"The word has spread among artists that the program has grown and thrived since 2005 and Chattanooga has come to be revered as a friendly and vibrant place for artists," she added. "I also get many calls from people in other cities who want to emulate Chattanooga and implement their own loan program."

The artists who are selected to participate agree to loan their works to the city for a period of 18 months to two years. They are paid a stipend to cover transpiration and installation.

Jeff Hackney, one of the participating sculptors, will be represented by "Need a Bigger Hammer to Build a Better World." Composed of five 10-foot-tall steel nails, the sculpture draws on the artist's background as a restorationist and builder.

"From living among the ruins in Mexico to building ice bridges near the Arctic Circle, I have always been drawn to the sculptural, technical and scientific elements," he says in his artist's statement.

Another sculptor, Mike Roig, is intrigued by sound and movement. His piece in the show, "Air Guitar," is a 17-foot tall steel construction that will "sing" in response to wind.

Other sculptors represented in the Fourth Biennial Sculpture Exhibition are Paul Howe, Ann Jon, Thomas Matsuda, John Petrey and Adam Walls.

These seven new sculptures join the city's collection of 42 temporary public works on display and the more than 100 pieces in its permanent collection.

For information, call 643-6886.

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