Community art is a collaborative effort

By Richard O. Jones
Reprinted with permission of the Journal-News

The key for Hamilton to truly become the City of Sculpture is collaboration.

And for that, there is a model in place, unveiled yesterday as the 66-foot “The Hamilton Gateway.”

That was the message delivered by Wayne P. Lawson, executive director of the Ohio Arts Council, to those attending a luncheon in the Winter Garden of the Government Services Center prior to the unveiling of the monumental sculpture.

The luncheon was organized by the Fitton Center for Creative Arts to raise funds for its youth programs as well as celebrate the sculpture.

The Ohio Arts Council, Lawson said, was one of the first contributors to the search to place a work of art on the plaza in front of the Government Services Center and One Renaissance Center, the twin towers now serving as headquarters for some city, county and state offices. The OAC gave the Public Arts Committee a $10,000 grant as seed money to fund a nationwide search.

Before the completion of the sculpture, however, many different entities had a voice in the selection. An initial search committee of 20 people representing city and county government, local arts agencies, the site developers and architects and other interested citizens reviewed 104 portfolio submissions. Initially, the sculpture was to be funded by a combination of county, city and private funds until former Common Pleas Court judge John Moser made a gift of the sculpture in honor of his retirement from the bench.

Lawson said that the OAC has also had a hand in the City of Sculpture designation by assisting Rick H. Jones, executive director of the Fitton Center for Creative Arts, in conducting a search to determine if any other city in the country touted such a appellation.

He also commented on recent developments in Hamilton, like the Michael A. Fox Highway and the streetscape improvements.

“The aesthetic growth of this city has changed dramatically,” he said.

Also at the luncheon, Andrea Myklebust and Stanton Sears, creators of “The Hamilton Gateway,” presented Judge Moser and his wife Shirley with  a scale model of the sculpture enclosed in a glass case, along with a sample of the plaques honoring them to be placed near the sculpture site.

“Their donation is so much appreciated,” Myklebust said, “and we’re grateful for playing a part in this kind of work, to create an interesting public place.”

Following the unveiling ceremony, a new organization in Hamilton called the Public Art Regional Team —  PART — conducted a trolley tour of other public art sites in Hamilton and an abbreviated tour of Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park.

PART is a collaborative effort between Oxford and Hamilton historic districts, arts organizations, convention and visitor bureaus and the Lane Public Library. Next year, PART plans to sponsor a lecture series on public art and issue a brochure detailing public art in Hamilton and Oxford.