Director's Note: Bringing Communities to Life through Public Art

Piedmont Arts' Historic Circus Mural parades through Uptown Martinsville

Old Glory welcomes guests to the Black Box Theatre

There has recently been much in the news about public art. The City of Martinsville and New College Institute have unveiled several murals in recent months, and Piedmont Arts has shared its plans for a public art garden on the corner of Starling Avenue and Mulberry Road.  At Piedmont Arts, we believe public art makes a statement about the community in which we live.  It says that we collectively value arts and culture and we want art to be accessible to everyone.

According to Americans for the Arts Public Art Network Council, communities gain value through public art—cultural, social and economic. “Public art is a distinguishing part of our public history and our evolving culture. It reflects and reveals our society, adds meaning to our cities and uniqueness to our communities.”

Through public art we can aspire to be a place where people want to live, visit and bring a business or company. It can distinguish Martinsville-Henry County from other cities that can look bland and boring; giving our community a stronger sense of place and identity. Public art can also connect our past, present and future. The three initial pieces that we hope to install in the Piedmont Arts public art garden are from Virginia artists with local ties. Mark Wright’s piece uses icons that evoke images of the past, but also show how the past has shaped who we are today. Jessie Ward’s work will be the future “O” in our very own permanent LOVEwork. And, Ed Dolinger's piece celebrates native tree species in a collaborative work that offers local students the chance to be part of a major public art project.

Kabuki Dancer shines bright as a
permanent feature on Piedmont Arts' patio

According to Americans for the Arts, “Public art activates the imagination and encourages people to pay attention and perceive more deeply the environment they occupy. Public art stimulates learning and thought about art and society, about our interconnected lives, and about the social sphere as a whole.” At Piedmont Arts, we want to create a space where the art is uniquely accessible and people can experience art during the course of their daily life, whether on a walk, having lunch outside, looking for a place to meditate, or a unique space for classes.

Public art can provide the community with “direct and ongoing encounters with art.” We hope we are successful in getting the Our Town grant from the NEA, but if we don’t, Piedmont Arts will continue to find ways to create public art so that our community can celebrate its unique culture. “Public art does something that neither a public space without art nor even a museum with all its art can do: it can capture the eye and mind of someone passing through public spaces. It can make us pay attention to our civic environment; it can encourage us to question what’s around us.” 

For a complete list of works in Piedmont Arts' Public Art Project, click here >>

Director's Note is a monthly blog by Piedmont Arts Executive Director Kathy Rogers, examining the impact of the arts in our community. 

Contact Kathy at kathyrogers@piedmontarts.org.