Trumpet Flowers
Amigo & Amigo
2023 | Port St Lucie, FL
“Trumpet Flowers” by Amigo & Amigo, an Australia-based art studio that specializes in interactive public art, was implemented with support and coordination from the Designing Local team. Each flower features a corresponding “trumpet key” that when pushed plays the jazzy sounds of a trumpet, tuba, trombone or drum, transforming the individual sculptures into a towering symphonic and light experience.
Artwork copyright: Vicki Scuri SiteWorks with Alexandr Polzin
Butterfly Screen for The Reach
Vicki Scuri SiteWorks with Alexandr Polzin
2022 | Columbus, Ohio
The Reach is a large mixed-use development adjacent to the Olentangy River in Downtown Columbus. The project includes numerous residential apartment and office buildings, several of which house the corporate headquarters of the White Castle Corporation. The plan also includes several public streets, green spaces, and surface parking lots. One of the surface parking lots is directly adjacent to a public green space. This parking area required special screening to maintain the spatial quality of the park. Designing Local was engaged to curate a public art element to provide this screening.
Designing Local served as a liaison between the larger development team and artist Vicki Scuri. The location, size, and other parameters were determined by Designing Local to support the conceptualization, design, and structural engineering of the screen. Designing Local also represented the owner and artist as the applicant for various design reviews and permitting processes. This included a formal presentation to the Columbus Downtown Commission and a submission for a building permit.
Artwork copyright: Vicki Scuri SiteWorks with Alexandr Polzin
Columbus Commons Mural
Lauren Carter Best
2024 | Columbus, Ohio
This temporary bubble- and flower-filled mural celebrates the playfulness and sunshine of the season. Designing Local was pleased to support Downtown Columbus in the procurement and project management of this mural that brought a fun backdrop to summer events in Columbus Commons.
Artwork copyright: Lauren Carter Best
Gather & Flow
2023 | Columbus, Ohio
“Gather & Flow” is a two-piece sculpture installed on the southwest and northwest parking garage towers at the intersection of Starling and State streets. It consists of dozens of metallic starlings seemingly flying from one tower to the next, echoing the shape of the Scioto river and the pattern of a murmuration of starling birds. It spans 50 feet in height and the iridescent birds are painted to represent the polychrome of a starlings feathers.
The Makers Monument
Mark Reigelman
2021 | Short North, Columbus, Ohio
From the region’s indigenous earthworks dating back thousands of years to the sprawling network of navigable canals and railroads developed throughout the 19th century, Columbus’ tradition of making and manufacturing is embedded within the city’s historical and topographical memory. At the height of the Industrial Revolution, Columbus was flecked with hundreds of shops and facilities producing everything from toothpicks to locomotives. The towns surrounding Columbus, particularly those referred to as black diamond communities, provided the raw materials and fuel that powered the city to greatness. Situated within this manufacturing epicenter, THE MAKERS MONUMENT memorializes High Street’s position as a maker hub and celebrates the region’s ever-evolving landscape.
Extending from the earth in a tectonic fragment, the outstretched crystals nod to the region’s many accumulated deposits. Its lace-like surface, an assembly of interlocking cutouts ranging from rocking horses to axes to whistles, diagrams the vast collection of items made within the city limits. Light seeps through its perforated silhouette in varying patterns that shift throughout the day, recalling the city’s production history while reflecting the vibrant activity along High Street. THE MAKERS MONUMENT invites viewers to investigate its steel latticework, considering the puzzle of objects that influenced the region's handcrafted lineage and its current practices of making.
Pillars of Hope and Justice
RE:site (Shane Allbritton and Norman Lee)
2023 | Fort Wayne, Indiana
In 2020, Fort Wayne City Council passed a resolution spearheaded to create a public display honoring King’s speech in Fort Wayne on June 5, 1963 on the corner of Ewing Street and West Main Street. The monument was dedicated on the 60th anniversary of Dr. King's speech. Designing Local was engaged to manage the procurement and selected artist through installation. As part of this process, Designing Local facilitated a call for artists, worked with a committee to select finalists, and coordinated the presentation on concepts to the selection committee. The Selection committee selected ReSITE as the final artist. Designing Local worked with the City as well as ReSITE to coordinate the final design documentation, fabrication, installation, and management of the installation.
Designed by Shane Albritton and Norman Lee, “Pillars of Hope and Justice” stands on the corner of Ewing and Main Streets celebrating Dr. King;s visit to Fort Wayne and the words he spoke there on his way to Washington DC for the infamous "I Have a Dream Speech". The monument features the six pillars of nonviolent resistance, evoking both ancient architectural pillars and reeds of papyrus, bringing together ancient and contemporary.
