Town Lot Update: Artist Hired for "Aesthetic Centerpiece"

Upon the recommendation of the Public Art Advisory Board, the Town Council has hired Florida Artist Lydia Rubio to help design the town's next public art project.

She will work with Landscape Architect Ashley Horne to transform the vacant lot at Lombard and Main Streets into an “aesthetic centerpiece” for the downtown area, including public art. She could potentially be paid up to $25,000 for her portion of the work.

"We feel that Lydia is a great fit for our project," said Advisory Board Member Heidi Stump. "The downtown lot project is more than just an area in need of an artistic accent, it is, by and large, a design project---it is an opportunity to design the entirety of an area from scratch. Lydia's background as an architectural designer fits perfectly into this need, and lends itself to an easy relationship with a landscape designer."

Rubio, a well-known artist with a reputation for style and vision, is currently working on public art projects for the Raleigh-Durham International Airport and The Women's Park in Miami. An artist for more than 25 years, she holds a master's degree in Architecture from Harvard's Graduate School of Design.

“We're excited to have her on-board, and we look forward to seeing this project come together,” said Mayor Jody McLeod.

While accommodating space for public parking, the new centerpiece will add to the beauty of the central business district “and continue the progress that downtown has been making over the last few years,” Town Manager Steve Biggs said.

Town officials hope to have the project completed by the middle of the year. The Council has set aside $127,460 for artistic components at the site, including pathways, gathering spots, walking surfaces and seating elements.

"I think we all understand the value of displaying art for a community to enjoy," said Stump, also Director of the Clayton Center. "But there is more to art in public places than a statue placed in a lot for public view. The value of hiring a public artist is the opportunity to develop content and context in an artistic piece. A public artist is able to develop relationships between the design and the community. A public artist is able to create designs that compliment surrounding architecture, create designs that reference a history of a site. An artist does this by spending time within a community to understand the people, the space and the project. The result is a design of significance to the community and the site, a design that is able to engage a viewer in multiple ways."

Town officials unveiled Clayton's first public art project, a 10-foot by 10-foot mural of downtown scenes, earlier this month at the Clayton Center.