| This section documents my freelance experiences creating public art. The overview section describes the “Read between the Signs” summer internship along with its purpose. The sections that follow focus on the creation of a three-point perspective snowplow that I was contracted to do on my own after the conclusion of the internship. Because I was the solo party involved with the snowplow, I was able to take reference photos and record detailed documentation during this process. Through this documentation, you will be able too see the work and decision making that goes into sign art.
History of the “Read between the signs” Project
The original idea was derived by environmental scientists at Allegheny College, as a greening the gateway for Meadville. Meadville has a long history in many regards. Apparently this small rural town used to be a resting point for people traveling between New York and Chicago. The town is noted for the invention of both the zipper and the channel lock pliers.
The idea of “Greening the Gateway” was to encourage businesses to return to Meadville and highlight the strong sense of community within the town. The students saw the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (Penn DOT) building, located in a key public location, was painting the wrong picture for the town. The fence in front of the building was a standard mesh fence with a dead embankment leading down to the road. In plain view, behind the fence were heaping mounds of gravel and industrial equipment.
Students began to experiment with solutions to solve the problem. A first attempt was planting greenery in front of the fence. Care was taken in selecting plants that had a high tolerance to salt and traffic pollution because of the roadside location. Despite the precautions, the plants died.
The next idea was to use discarded road signs to craft a mural which would cover the fence and turn it into a work of art. This idea was brought to the director of Penn DOT and accepted. The signs that Penn DOT remove from the roads, either because of age or damage, are scrapped because the cost for repainting and repair outweighed the cost of just getting a new sign. The students would take these signs and recycle them into art. This is how the sign fence project was born.
Metal Shavings Everywhere!!!
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| Here is the main plaque that is loacted at the foot of the "Read Between the Signs" mural project in front of the Penn DOT building in Meadville, PA. |
I have had the privilege of working on the sign fence project for two summers. It allowed me to not only branch my art skills to a new realm, but also experience the joy of working collaboratively with other artists. During my first year I worked alongside fellow artist Julie to construct three-dimensional hot air balloons for the fence mural. I was chosen for this task because of my strong sense of mathematics and geometry. Some rudimentary Calculus helped, but most of the custom bending for the balloon’s fluted seams was done through the trial and error approach.
The Penn DOT employees were eager to join the creation process when the installation time came. They worked along side of us as co-partners, lending their expertise and equipment to help solve numerous installation problems. I had a preconception that it would be a burden to them to give us a hand. It turned out that they loved the opportunity to help out and it was a refreshing change from the normal everyday work they have to do. It was amazing to experience the pride that the employees have in this fence project. This is the only one like it in the United States so far.
The second summer as an intern, I had the task of constructing a huge Penn DOT road construction vehicle for the fence and Allegheny College’s Bentley Hall. The artistic design of the fence took an extreme turn from abstract to realism during this summer. At the end of my second term on the project I was contracted to create a three point perspective snowplow, which would be used for the winter section of the fence.
The chance to work on a public art piece really excited me. I was able to grow as a collaborative artist and understand the value of teamwork in the undertaking of a massive project. About the only thing I gripe about is how hard it is to get all the aluminum metal shaving off of my clothes and the interior of my car. I guess this is a small price to pay for a rare chance to work with some of the most talented artists I have had the pleasure of meeting.
For more information you can view the project at green museum and Allegheny’s CEED (Center for Economic Development) websites. |
