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Go with the flow
Greenamyer chosen for Roslindale Square Public Art
LeAnne Gendreau and Jen Mehigan
Roslindale Square public art. When George Greenamyer visited Roslindale Square to look at a possible site for public art, he could not ignore the fact that there was a lot of traffic
“We put on hardhats and safety jackets so we wouldn’t get run down by the traffic,” Greenamyer said. “We’re drowning in cars and that’s the truth.”
Greenamyer was one of three finalists to compete for a contract to design, create and install public art in Roslindale Square. Recently, he learned that the Roslindale Public Art Council has chosen him to create a sculpture to be placed at the larger island that is closer to Corinth Street. The city will redo the current two islands sometime this spring as a public improvement project.
When Greenamyer went to work on a design to compete for the Roslindale Public Art contest he incorporated the busyness of the street and the cars going by. The design is for a 16-foot tall sculpture including eight vehicles, each 18 inches tall. The figures are on tops of cars rather than inside to show off each driver’s personality.
"It’s more personal, humor” Greenamyer said in an interview after his sculpture was chosen. “Most public art is pretty grim. ... I would call (this sculpture) user-friendly to the average user. You don’t have to have two doctorate degrees in aesthetics.”
The other way he includes traffic flow is “a vertical axis wind machine that is self-governing,” according to the proposal he submitted in October 2004. The axis goes in the direction of the traffic. “It’s a little traffic jam,” he said. “If the wind goes slow, the traffic goes slow; if the wind goes fast the traffic goes fast.”
To get community feedback on art, the council displayed designs by three artists in the Roslindale branch of the Boston Public Library in November and invited residents the opportunity to vote. Close to 80 surveys were submitted at the Roslindale branch library in November and December, Council member Steve Gag said.
The council hired an art consultant but she never revealed which artists she thought would be best. “I would have been swayed by her. To judge art is really hard and it’s going to be there for many years,” Gag said. The Council took the surveys into consideration, had a discussion and eventually voted to give the project to Greenamyer, a Marshfield resident, art professor and sculptor who has worked on more than 30 public art projects. “We looked at the information of the surveys, we had notes from public meetings ... the council met and had a three and a half hour session,” Gag said. Greenamyer was the public’s favorite. “There was a lot of debate and discussion, but I think people liked the spirit,” Carol McLaughlin, former chair of the Roslindale Public Art Council. “The process was a real open one,” he said. “Everybody felt good about that choice.”
Unlike public artwork that is selected by curators and appropriate for museums, Greenamyer creates sculptures residents can appreciate. “If it’s public money, the taxpayers ought to know what it means in fairness to people who did not go to art school,” he said. “There is a snobbery to fine arts that I don’t like; I find it offensive.” Greenamyer said he wanted to create “kind of like a self-portrait of Roslindale, who lives there, what kinds of cars they drive.” He also wanted the artwork to reflect the people, and the signage to reflect the businesses - but not too closely. “One of my drawing was Roslindale Fish as a business,” he said, but when someone told him that was a real business he decided to try something out so that no one real business is highlighted. “I wouldn’t do a real business,” he added.
The piece does not only have to fit in with the cityscape; the other issues Greenamyer had to consider when creating the design and deciding what materials to use were potential vandalism, people climbing on the piece, and what he calls “midnight curators.”
According to the proposal he submitted in October 2004, “The use of a column ... also makes the sculpture less susceptible to damage due to climbing, spray painting and applies signs.” “(We had to think about) who climbs it, who sues the city when they fall off, and stones and wise guys,” Greenamyer said. “That’s a real important thing in public art. Everybody sues everybody.” McLaughlin said the Council has been meeting since about November 2003. Brower Hatcher of Providence, R.I., and Joseph Wheelwright, a sculptor, also submitted proposals. Hatcher, who has won art awards, submitted a proposal for a large mesh creation for the traffic island that would exhibit different parts of Roslindale’s historic past. Wheelwright, who has a piece at the DeCordova Museum, proposed a sculpture of a large head made out of stone. The Council has met with
Greenamyer, but there are several steps left before the art can make its way to the Square, including finding the funding and getting approval for the idea. “‘Til the ink hits the newspaper, we don’t go up or down. It’s great. It’s an honor but it doesn’t mean anything until the ink is dry on the contract,” Greenamyer said. Greenamyer said he was not sure of the exact contract figure. “It’s sort of a pricey little bugger,” he said. “We had money from the Browne Fund to do the community process. ... Now we have to apply to the Browne Fund again, but we may have to solicit from some other source as well,” McLaughlin said. Roslindale Village Main Street received a grant for $25,000 from the Browne Fund, which was spent on a beautification project, hiring a consultant and awarding small stipends to the three artists to think about their projects, talk with people and research the area before coming up with their proposals. McLaughlin added that the
Boston Art Commission must approve the installation. The Council will meet with the BAC to present their proposal sometime this month. Applications for the Browne Fund are due in March, she said. “So this won’t be done for awhile,” McLaughlin said. “The traffic island will be up before the piece.” Greenamyer said the final piece will be easy to maintain, because he has selected materials that have longevity. He will also provide a maintenance schedule on how to take care of It., “Just like buying a car, we tell them how to take care of the car,” he said.
The Browne Fund is a nonprofit dedicated to the creation public arts that was established in the will of Edward Ingersoll Browne, a Boston attorney who directed part of his estate to be used in the Boston community. The money from the Browne Fund was originally intended for the design and development of the courtyard at Roslindale Square. Because of private developments in that area, Tom Litke, then-executive director of RVMS, asked the Browne Fund if the money could be used toward a public beautification project and they agreed. When the project started, 39 artists submitted slides and proposals. Barbara O’Brien, an art consultant hired to work with the Council, narrowed the group down to 20 artists and the commission narrowed those down to the three remaining. Last February, the Council met with O’Brien to discuss different spots in the neighborhood for the public art. Though the grant was generally for the immediate Square area, the group also considered the Alexander the Great Park and the MBTA lawn at the corner of Robert and South Fairview streets. Tom Nealon, co-owner of Pazzo Books, is the new chair. He is working with RVMS to create something for the Roslindale web site with info for the community. More information about the artist can be found at www.greenamyer.com.