Mauldin announces first public art trail installation
The City of Mauldin’s Office of Cultural Affairs announces the selection of the first installation along the Mauldin Public Art Trail. Central, S.C., artist Joey Manson’s sculpture,“The Depot” has been selected by the Mauldin Cultural Council and approved by the city. The steel sculpture, which will measure 12 feet tall, eight feet wide and eight feet deep, will be fabricated and installed in the next few months.
Manson developed the sculpture concept by combing through the history of Mauldin and embracing the theme for this year’s program, “Crossroads.” Manson’s description of the artwork:
The theme of ‘Crossroads’ led me to research the history of the area and the origins of Mauldin. I discovered a map describing Mauldin’s historical borders drawn as a circle with a 1/2 mile radius centered on the original train depot. I became interested in this circular border and the crossroads formed by 107 [East Butler Road] intersecting with 276 & the railroad. The resulting shape I also found to resemble that of an impeller or a propeller, an object of great importance to the economy of Mauldin over the years. They were first found producing power from the river at nearby mills and then during WWII powering airplanes at [Donaldson Center] Air Force Base. The theme of crossroads thus led me from the roads and railway that first gave rise to Mauldin to the modern industry and development that encircles Mauldin and drives today’s economy. I added the curved, green beams to symbolize these dynamic forces that surround and connect Mauldin today. The grey beam I see as the railroad, still present, running straight through town and still working today.
The artwork is the first iteration of a new public art program in Mauldin approved in December 2014. The Mauldin Public Art Trail is an annual program that will feature nine unique pieces of public art around the perimeter of the Mauldin Cultural Center’s outdoor amphitheater that are replaced every 10 years.
Each year the Mauldin Cultural Council, a nonprofit arts organization that supports artistic efforts around the community and at the Mauldin Cultural Center, will select a new work to fill one of nine predetermined slots around the amphitheater. Each selection is guided by a special theme for that year, and the program is open only to South Carolina artists. After all slots are filled, the oldest piece gets replaced every year and the “retired” artwork is relocated to another area in the community permanently.
“It’s a really unique program that allows us to work with numerous artists from across the state and have them interact with our community,” says George Patrick McLeer, administrator for the Office of Cultural Affairs. “We were very impressed by Manson’s interpretation of this year’s theme and the way he incorporated our community’s history into his work. We’re very proud and excited to have this piece be the first of many artwork installations to come.”
The deadline for installation is April 2016, although McLeer expects the sculpture to be in place as early as late fall 2015.
The City of Mauldin is located in the Upstate of South Carolina and in the heart of Greenville County. It is the 17th largest city in South Carolina and one of the fastest growing cities in the state. Mauldin was first charted in 1820 and has grown to a population of almost 25,000. More information about the City of Mauldin can be found online at www.cityofmauldin.org.
Via: City of Mauldin Office of Cultural Affairs