After reviewing more than 120 qualified applications, Metro Arts’ citizen selection panel narrowed the field of artists for an iconic public artwork at The Fairgrounds Nashville down to five semifinalists. At their October board meeting, the Metro Arts Board of Commissioners approved their selections.
Metro Arts' public Call for Artist Submissions for a large iconic artwork closed in late August and received a total of 126 submissions. The citizen selection panel, consisting of community leaders and business owners from the Fairgrounds' Wedgewood-Houston neighborhood, used online voting and a full day of in-person review to winnow the field to five. After the semifinalists' site visits and final interviews in December, the panel will present a finalist for approval by the Metro Arts Public Art Committee and Board of Commissioners.
Phase 2 of The Fairgrounds Nashville's public art will include opportunities for site-integrated artworks reserved exclusively for Nashville- and Davidson County-based artists.
The Phase 1 semifinalists are listed below in alphabetical order. Click through each slideshow and visit their linked websites for examples of each artist's artworks.
Ed Carpenter – Portland, OR
Carpenter specializes in large-scale public installations ranging from architectural sculpture to infrastructure design.
Marc Fornes – Brooklyn, NY
Fornes describes his work as specializing in large-scale, site-specific structures that
unify skin, support, form, and experience into a single system.
Cliff Garten – Venice, CA
Garten describes his work as inclusive, encouraging moments for private
reflection, creating shared community spaces, and invigorating the natural
environment.
Blessing Hancock – Tucson, AZ
Hancock describes her artwork as an exploration of light, shadow, and color as ever
changing components of the public art experience.
Po Shu Wang – Berkeley, CA
Wang is a cross-disciplinary artist that brings together art, science and the
community environment into his artwork.
To stay up-to-date on public art at The Fairgrounds Nashville and on all Metro Arts programs and events, subscribe to our Arts Alert newsletter and follow @MetroArtsNash on social media.