Chickasha
Public Art ProjectS
2009-2011

The Mission of the Chickasha Area Arts Council (CAAC) is to “support, encourage, coordinate, and promote high-quality activities and programs in the arts and humanities for the Chickasha area.”

CAAC has coordinated two successful public art projects  with the City of Chickasha.  Looking to the future, the CAAC Board is preparing for our 2009-2010 project.  We feel it is a first step toward the “Vision Chickasha” goal of developing the depot area as an Arts/Entertainment District.

In 2003, CAAC and the City of Chickasha collaborated on an Oklahoma Arts Council grant to create a children’s musical play sculpture by Duff Bassett.  The “Songasauraus” was dedicated  in Shannon Springs Park in February 2004:

Again in 2005, CAAC and the City of Chickasha received an Oklahoma Arts Council grant for a public art project at Shannon Springs Park. Murals of historic Chickasha were painted on the Bath House by Artist Bob Palmer:

In April 2009, Vision Chickasha sessions indicated  the importance of an “Arts/Entertainment District” located in the historic depot area. 

During this time, USAO Administration began discussions with Sculptor Archie Held to purchase a new public art piece to celebrate the community and college connection. 

USAO Board of Regents authorized the purchase of Mr. Held’s sculpture.  It was installed August 2009:

On April 24, 2009, the CAAC President met with administrators from the City of Chickasha, Mr. Held, and USAO Administration regarding a project proposal to place a new public art piece in the depot area to complement campus public art projects:

In Fall 2009, streetscaping plans for a community arts district was developed given community input.  Please note that a fountain was located at the center of the proposed design which reflected the need for an artistic focal point in the area.

Public Art Sculpture in
downtown Chickasha is important!

The Chickasha Public Art Project has received recognition from the Oklahoma Arts Council, Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition, and the Office of Oklahoma Public Art in Public Places. 

In Spring 2010,  Mr. Held will work with emerging Oklahoma sculptors to design a downtown sculptural centerpiece. The final design will be presented to City Council and the community by June 2010 with the sculpture being installed by the next Rock Island Arts Festival in 2010.

In Spring 2010,  Mr. Held will work with emerging Oklahoma sculptors to design a downtown sculptural centerpiece. The final design will be presented to City Council and the community by July 2010 with the sculpture being installed by the next Rock Island Arts Festival in 2010. The $30,000 project will feature the work of the following members of the artistic team:

Cecil Lee, Project Chairman

Sculptor and Project Artistic Consultant, Archie Held at:
http://www.archieheld.com/

Eric Baker at
http://www.ebbingnight.com/

Dustin Boise

Kolbe Roper at
http://www.kolberoper.com/kolberoper.com/kolberoper.html

Why is this project important to Chickasha?

  “public art can play an important role in a community’s overall appeal. Our research indicates that the higher people rate the beauty of their community, the higher their overall level of community satisfaction.” Richard Florida, in Public Art Review Vol.20, No.1

UPDATE MAY 2010

The Chickasha Public Art Design Team met for the first time on April 27, 2010 at USAO.   The team also met with city officials and  community representatives to learn about the development of the  downtown arts district and potential placement of the sculpture at  the Rock Island Depot.

USAO will host the team June 8-10 when they will complete a final  sculpture design and end the workshop with a community presentation on June 10.

The project is sponsored by the Chickasha Area Arts Council and the City of Chickasha with funding by the National Endowment for the Arts, the Oklahoma Arts Council, the Union Pacific Foundation and local patrons.

From left to right (front row): Julie Bohannon, Project Coordinator and Eric Baker. (second row) Archie Held, Artist Consultant; Cecil Lee, Project Leader, Dustin Boise and Kolbe Roper. 

UPDATE JANUARY 2011

Since May of 2010, a lot of behind the scenes work went on for the Chickasha Public Art Project:

*The June workshop was held on the USAO campus with all the participating project artists. The home of President John Feaver was the location for an artist reception for the project. A community forum at City Hall was held with the proposed sculpture (designed by Mr. Held) being presented with all the participating artists taking part.

*The sculpture is site specific, honoring Chickasha's railroad past with a strong connection back to the USAO campus. The design was presented to the community with positive input & enthusiasm given to the design group.

*On June 23, 2010 Sculptor Archie Held returned to Chickasha from his California studio to present the model and a presentation for the design's approval to the Chickasha City Council. The artist presented the rationale behind the sculpture with a powerpoint presentation showing city historic photographs. The vote from the council was 'unanimous' in approval of the design! The photo below features the sculptor with members of CAAC after the City Council presentation.

*To prepare for the water element of the sculpture, additional grants were written to the Helen Ward Trust, Union Pacific, Dolese, and others with additional grant awards providing funds for the water reservoir, and installation costs.

*In-kind donations are also making the project possible, Dolese Company is providing a donation of cement for the sculpture base and Willowbrook Construction Company providing construction management oversight.

*November 2010, City Council voted to approve the location for the sculpture in the depot area.

* In November, CAAC and our public art process was featured in the state-wide magazine, Art Focus Oklahoma is a bimonthly publication of the Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition
http://issuu.com/ovac/docs/artfocus-novdec10

*December 2010, CAAC was required to do a historical survey of the depot area by the National Endowment of the Arts. Working with the Oklahoma State Historical Society, CAAC was cleared to proceed with the sculpture.

*January 2011, The Archie Held Studio is now fabricating the sculpture with the installation to take place in early summer 2011.

*June 2011: The Council is excited to report that the sculpture is in fabrication to be installed in September! CAAC is working with the City of Chickasha and CMS Willowbrook to prepare the site for installation. Donations from the Union Pacific Foundation and Dolese are making the final stages of the project possible. CAAC is also looking at a Phase 2 of the project to provide the artwork from the Project Team to be placed in the sculpture area in a plaque form. The photos below show the work of the three Oklahoma artists invovled with Archie Held in the project.