BEGIN:VCALENDAR PRODID;X-RICAL-TZSOURCE=TZINFO:-//com.denhaven2/NONSGML ri_cal gem//EN CALSCALE:GREGORIAN VERSION:2.0 BEGIN:VEVENT DESCRIPTION:NEW TEMPORARY PUBLIC ART INSTALLATION ERECTED IN GRAND CENTER MAY 2 &ndash\; 9\, ON VIEW THROUGH JUNE\nInstallation timeline set for &ldquo\;A Chromatic Confluence\,&rdquo\; slated for the northeast corner of Grand Boulevard and Samuel Shepard Drive\n(ST. LOUIS / April 2012) W ork begins May 2 on the temporary public art installation &ldquo\;A Chro matic Confluence&rdquo\; in Grand Center and is expected to continue thr ough May 9. The piece will remain on view through June at the corner of Grand Boulevard and Samuel Shepard Drive. Principals Lucy Begg and Rober t Gay with the Austin-based creative enterprise Thoughtbarn will be in S t. Louis at that time to manage the installation.\nThe installation is a required test run and final step in establishing a district policy rega rding temporary public art\, an initiative made possible through a speci al grant bestowed to Grand Center\, Inc. by the National Endowment for t he Arts. The policy establishes an operating framework that will help en courage future installations and allows for opportunities for artists an d discovery by visitors.\nBecause of the scale of the piece and volume o f materials &ndash\; nearly 20\,000 feet of multi-colored string &ndash\ ; Thoughtbarn and Grand Center\, Inc. have enlisted the help of student and professional volunteers with Grand Center Arts Academy and Craft All iance.\nThe piece will be a maze-like installation filling a 25-by-65 sq uare-foot space. With multiple paths in and out\, the piece is designed to entice visitors to hesitate\, detour\, linger and/or meander through the art. As they walk through\, visitors may experience a mesmerizing\, constantly shifting pattern of colors and texture. Pockets and eddies fo rmed by the string create moments of pause and opportunities for convers ation. The piece also will be lit at night\, adding to the colorful land scape of neon signs in the district.\nHighlighting the interactive\, exp loratory nature of the piece\, mini-performances are being arranged thro ugh Orchestrating Diversity. The first performance will take place durin g the Art Walk in Grand Center on May 11\, where members of Orchestratin g Diversity&rsquo\;s youth orchestra group will perform within the vario us &ldquo\;rooms&rdquo\; of the sculpture.\nThe formation of the tempora ry public art policy and artist-selection process has been a year in the making. Grand Center Inc. formed an advisory committee to draft the pol icy and to conduct a national call to artists. Grand Center Inc. engaged St. Louis-based Via Partnership\, national consultants in public art\, to lead the advisory committee. The ability to demonstrate several crite ria was crucial in selecting the artist. The criteria included scale\, d ay/night visibility\, interaction\, appeal to both pedestrian and car tr affic\, and of course\, the overall scope of the piece.\nLed by Meridith McKinley of Via Partnership\, the advisory committee includes art autho rities from within the Grand Center district and the St. Louis art commu nity at large: (alphabetical order by institution)\n\nDominic Molon\, Co ntemporary Art Museum St. Louis\nBoo McLoughlin\, Craft Alliance\nMeredi th Malone\, Kemper Art Museum\nMarilu Knode\, Laumeier Sculpture Park\nF rancesca Consagra\, The Pulitzer Foundation for the Arts\nRoseann Weiss\ , Regional Arts Commission\nTricia Paik\, Saint Louis Art Museum\nOlivia Lahs Gonzales\, Sheldon Art Galleries\n\nThoughtbarn\, headed by princi pals Lucy Begg and Robert Gay\, was selected based on its presentation o f previous large-scale public art installations that met the criteria fo r this project. Thoughtbarn is comprised of a collaborative team with ba ckgrounds in architecture\, furniture design and art that brings a uniqu e skill set to projects of this nature.\nThe site at Grand and Samuel Sh epard currently hosts &ldquo\;E-scaping the Grid\,&rdquo\; an art instal lation completed in 2005 by Michael Oliveri. With the new policy in plac e\, Grand Center hopes to reignite the original intention for the site t o host rotating public art exhibits on a regular basis.\n&ldquo\;The dev elopment of this policy and this initial installation creates a framewor k that we hope will encourage a new era of temporary public art in Grand Center\,&rdquo\; McKinley said. &ldquo\;With the Grand Center district planning process in development\, the timing of the NEA grant to develop a temporary public art policy couldn&rsquo\;t be better. Over time\, vi sitors to Grand Center can expect to see a changing visual landscape tha t will engage them in different and interesting ways.&rdquo\;\nGrand Cen ter is the major arts and entertainment district in the St. Louis region and is home to more than 30 arts organizations that demonstrate the dep th and diversity of the city&rsquo\;s cultural life. The district hosts more than 1\,500 cultural events each year and welcomes over 1.5 million visitors annually. Grand Center&rsquo\;s artistic renaissance began wit h the restoration of Powell Hall and the Fabulous Fox Theatre and contin ues today with the growing vitality of restaurants\, retail\, commercial and residential development. For more information about Grand Center an d Grand Center Inc. visit grandcenter.org. URL:http://universitycity.patch.com/events/a-chromatic-confluence SUMMARY:A Chromatic Confluence LOCATION:N Grand Blvd &\; Samuel Shepard Dr\, Saint Louis\, MO 63103: N Grand Blvd & Samuel Shepard Dr\, Saint Louis\, MO END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR