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Our View: Public art, again Thursday Dec 29, 2016 at 12:01 AM Ashland's Public Arts Commission is embarking on another project — this time choosing the artist first rather than reviewing proposed works. That's appropriate in this case, because the project involves a 142-foot walking corridor rather than a spot with a single piece of art. The corridor leads from Main Street to the Thomas Theatre and the Hargadine parking structure. The walkway runs between the buildings housing Earthly Goods and Starbucks, but the project does not involve a mural, and one of the requirements is that no art be attached to the privately owned buildings or obstruct access to the buildings' walls. The Public Arts Commission was criticized for the process it followed in selecting a sculpture for the Gateway Island. This latest process involved five public meetings to review 28 applications from artists around the West, including local ones. The selected artist, Gordon Huether of Napa, California, has extensive experience with public art commissions around the world. His work appears at the Salt Lake City airport, at a Bay Area Rapid Transit station in San Bruno and on a parking garage in Stockton, California, among many other places. The public process isn't finished; Huether is known for being collaborative and working well with local communities. He will develop two concepts for the Theater Corridor Public Art Project, and one will be selected. The result should transform what is now a sterile walkway into a "lighted artful walking experience," from the description on the city's website. For a look at Huether's work, see www.gordonhuether.com. We think you'll like what you see.