​Columbia public art initiative to connect businesses, quality of life

A new art program will create a city-wide palette of public art collaborations celebrating Columbia’s access to its rivers, and also craft diverse artistic visions shared across its business and public spaces.

Mayor Daniel J. Rickenmann recently announced the new Columbia Streams Art public art program during a public ceremony at Boyd Plaza, according to a news release. During the ceremony, Rickenmann revealed a leaping trout sculpture painted in the colors of the City of Columbia flag, a large-scale urban canvas featuring art from Columbia area artists as well as images streamed digitally from artists in Columbia’s sister city of Kaiserslautern, Germany, and three vibrantly painted reproduction newspaper vending machines that will become community lending libraries.

“The fabric of Columbia is vibrant with streams of creativity flowing from every direction,” said Mayor Daniel J. Rickenmann. “As more are choosing to live, work, and play in our community, we want to ensure there are new, exciting, and thought-provoking public art installations for all to enjoy and contribute to. Columbia Streams Art is another stream for local artists of all ages to contribute to our bustling public art scene.”

Speaking during the presentation with Rickenmann were Columbia Museum of Art Executive Director Della Watkins, and Stormwater Studios artist Stephen Chesley, who shared perspectives of how public displays of art invigorate our public spaces, and reflect multiple aspects of our culture, the release stated.

Columbia Streams Art is a multi-faceted arts program designed to engage Columbia’s creative community by inviting local artists and students to express their imaginations through unique projects for display throughout the city. Components of the Columbia Streams Art public art program will include:

• To directly celebrate Columbia’s connection to rivers, thirty-five leaping trout sculptures will be painted/decorated by students from Richland County School District 1 high schools and Midlands area institutions of higher learning, and a selection local artists. Columbia area artists can click here to submit their proposals for consideration. A stipend will be provided to the selected artists, and after the trout sculptures have been painted they will be auctioned with proceeds utilized to expand public art programs in Columbia.
• The Columbia Streams Art program will also sponsor creation and presentation of travelling urban canvasses to display a variety of interconnected local and international creative visions. Each urban canvas will feature placement of different portrayals of art or photography to craft a total kaleidoscopic presentation, and then be presented for public viewing across Columbia communities.
• Additionally, 24 reproductions of newspaper vending machines will be painted by children attending a variety of different North Columbia community centers and after-school programs, and then the vibrantly-painted machines will be filled with books to become free lending libraries and placed across communities in the area.