Two thoughts: ooh! ARTsites! I love that program. Then: why does it matter how much it weighs? Surely there’s something else the writer could have showcased. These aren’t prize pumpkins we’re looking at here.
ARTsites is an initiative of the Howard County Arts Council which places sculptures around the county each year. I have grown quite fond of seeing these new structures spring up annually. The concept is to “take art out of galleries and place it in public spaces.” I like it.
I believe that the original intent was for these pieces to remain in place for a year. Some - - perhaps due to their popularity? - - have remained. The eggplant on Main Street in Old Ellicott City, for example. Or those adorable metalwork creatures at the Mall. The Pleiades at Clarksville Commons.
I can’t explain why I’m so drawn to these little pops of art in the community. They make me smile. They make me think. They spark my imagination.
Here are this year’s ARTsites:
My original intent for this blog post was to connect each work with its location and challenge myself (and my readers) to visit each one. So, I began to make a list:
Title: Waiting on a Train of Thought
Artist: Charlie Brouwer
Location: Gary J. Arthur Community Center
Title: Vasanzio IV ‘A Favor’
Artist: Steven Buduo
Location: North Laurel Community Center & Park
Title: Bad Apple
Artist: Paul Daniel
Location: Merriweather Park at Symphony Woods
Title: Helix
Artist: Jeffrey Chyatte
Location: Howard County Government, George Howard Building
Title: Labyrinth
Artist: Jeffrey Chyatte
Location: Howard County General Hospital
Title: Bird Forms
Artist: Bobby Donovan
Location: James & Anne Robinson Nature Center
Title: Notions of Transparency
Artist: Bobby Donovan
Location: Corporate Office Properties Trust
Title: BLM
Artists: Jack Howard-Potter
Location: Howard Community College
Title: Angular Separation
Artist: Hanna Jubran
Location: Howard County Public School System Administration Building
Title: Barking at the Moon
Artist: Richard Pitts
Location: Columbia Association, Community Operations Center
Title: Solar Hope
Artist: Paul Steinkoenig
Location: Clarksville Commons
Title: Tilt
Artist: Bill Wood
Location: Columbia Association, Slayton House
Something hit me as I worked. I started digging around to look at information on the artists. (The following photos do not belong to me. They come from artists’ websites and newspaper articles about arts events.) Take a look.
Let me reiterate. I love the ARTsites initiative. I like this year’s crop of sculptures. But I am gobsmacked that the Howard County Arts Council has somehow curated a collection created solely by men. White men, to be precise. Women sculptors and Black sculptors do exist. (I checked on Google.)
I wish this collection were more representative of a diverse and inclusive world and most especially of our own community. I doubt that most people who see these pieces up close or as they drive by will even consider this. But it still matters. Representation matters.
The art world is often seen as a playground of white, well-to-do art patrons and critics. I want to believe that the Howard County Arts Council created ARTsites as a way to remove barriers to visual arts experiences. The incorporation of art into public spaces and everyday life is a concrete affirmation that art is for everyone.
It certainly should be.
Out at the Central Office of the Howard County Schools, where one of these sculptures is placed, they often host displays of student art. Within our schools are many aspiring artists from many backgrounds. Some are probably future sculptors. I wonder who will take a chance on them once they are grown?
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