Document text
1 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW SOU newspaper The Siskiyou to continue ... SOU begins new tradition with alumni breakfast ... SOU’s 90th commencement Saturday ... SOU newspaper The Siskiyou to continue ... SOU begins new tradition with alumni breakfast ... SOU’s 90th commencement Saturday ... PUBLIC ART 'Gather' to grace Gateway Island Artist Susan Zoccola's proposal selected from among three finalists Comment By Alec Dickinson For the Tidings DailyTidings.com By Alec Dickinson For the Tidings Posted Sep. 15, 2015 at 2:00 AM By Alec Dickinson For the Tidings Posted Sep. 15, 2015 at 2:00 AM » RELATED CONTENT • Second Ashland public art proposal submitted • Councilors discuss way forward for public art » Social News An artwork by Seattle artist Susan Zoccola will greet visitors and Ashlanders alike as they enter downtown if the City Council approves the recommendation of the Public Arts Commission as decided Friday, Sept. 11. Zoccola was selected from three finalists for the Gateway Island public art project following presentations of artist concepts on Thursday. Zoccola’s "Gather," a modern piece 20 feet tall, will grace the intersection of Siskiyou Boulevard and East Main Streets in front of the Ashland Public Library. Zoccola, whose large-scale public installations appear across the country, said she was thrilled about the selection. “It was a pretty tough competition, and the other artists did a great job, too," she said Monday after she was notified of her artwork's selection. "You never know how things are going to land, so I’m just thrilled. I really had this strong connection to the city, you know? I’m crazy about Ashland. And I really like the piece, so it’s all just really cool.” The Gateway Island was set aside by the city as a place for public art more than a decade ago. Gathering input on the project and procuring funds has taken time. The Public Arts Commission receives 3 percent of the city’s lodging tax income to put toward public art installations. Given the prominence of the Gateway Island, the commission elected to save funds for seven years to pay for a creation that would be appropriate for the space. Commission Chairman Margaret Garrington said the scale of the piece had to be large. “This project has been seven years in the works," she said. "We didn’t want to have a small piece here, and a small piece there. We wanted something large that would really stand out when you come into downtown.” Zoccola says her time in Ashland helped shape the piece. She was in close contact with the Public Arts Commission, which provided word plots that had been generated during the public input process and offered insight into the qualities the community wanted in the piece. She says she also took many photos during her visits to the Rogue Valley. “My process is very intuitive, so I visited Ashland, spent time here," Zoccola recalled. "I took a lot of pictures. So I’ve got pictures of Ashland all over my studio and they kind of just worked at the back of my mind and different ideas came up. The imagery I came up with was warm and welcoming, and community. And there was also problem-solving regarding what that particular space wanted.” Zoccola says part of that problem solving had to do with the fact that many, if not most, viewers of the piece would be seeing it from a car, rather than on foot. “I wanted it to be big enough that it was going to be visible from the cars and from a little bit of a distance, but not so big that it would be scary to sit by.” Zoccola says she wants the piece to draw people in for a closer look. She says, ideally, "Gather" will have visual appeal from afar, and change as people approach it. Zoccola said the thoroughness of the selection process was somewhat unusual: artists were given a full year to develop proposals. She said the city’s collection of input on the qualities the piece should have was invaluable. “Ideally, I like making pieces that are very site-specific and that make sense for the place that they are going to live," she said. "So I feel like my job as an artist and my opportunity as an artist is to intuit what people who live there are going to like. So this grew out of that process.” It’s a mode of working that resonated with the seven-member committee appointed by the Public Arts Commission to make the final decision. Selection committee member John Davis, former owner of Davis and Klein Gallery in Ashland, said he loved Zoccola’s intuitive approach to art. “When I ran an art gallery I would look at an artist’s work," Davis said, "and I would say ‘is this artist speaking with a unique voice? Does this artist have a world view that is theirs alone?’ And that’s what I saw in this work.” Davis also said this particular selection process was unique. “Usually these things are contentious when there’s art involved,” Davis said, “But this was the most collaborative and well run process … I’ve never seen one like it. The discussions were well-directed, focused, the decision-making was really brilliant. This was an unusual event.” The piece, a light framework of curving metal covered in a colored patina, will soon move from the design phase to construction. Susan Zoccola says, however, that she is looking forward to working with the city to make final determinations before she begins fabrication. “There still needs to be some fine-tuning in a way," she said. "They selected this piece and I’m excited about it, but there are some questions about orientation. There are these two openings, and they could orient any way. North-south, east-west. Also, there’s some play within the circle where the piece would be situated. People seemed to like the idea of the piece being off-center, but where exactly? And also fine-tuning the coloration. I suggested a palate, but that can all be fine-tuned as well. I just want to make sure it is where everybody wants it to be.” Zoccola says she will then begin work with fabricators in Utah to construct the sculpture. While she won’t be welding the piece herself, she says she will be working closely with the production facility. “I’m there, and we make the decisions together and then they do the welding," she said, "because they weld way better than I do. Some artists just do the drawing and send it off, but I like to go and be part of that process. To try different processes. Especially with coloration.” The selection committee’s decision will pass to the Public Art Commission, which will forward the recommendation to the City Council for final approval. The piece is expected to be completed by fall 2016. Alec Dickinson is an Ashland freelancer. Reach him at [email protected] By Alec Dickinson For the Tidings DailyTidings.com By Alec Dickinson For the Tidings Posted Sep. 15, 2015 at 2:00 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... Business Name address Location, ST | website.com Find Southern Oregon Attractions Bars Restaurants Beauty Salons Entertainment Doctors Medical Specialists Contractors Education Lawn Services Lawyers Shopping Travel Tanning Used Cars Wedding Services ▼ Add your business here + Events Calendar Connect with DailyTidings.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Alerts Email alerts RSS feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Mobile Site Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2016 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. DailyTidings.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501