Title
A Resolution approving the concept for a work of public art, by Michele Oka Doner, in conjunction with the Merrick Park Hotel project, at 4241 Aurora Street, in fulfillment of the Art in Public Places requirement for public art in private development. (unanimously recommended by the Arts Advisory Panel approval/denial vote: 6 to 0, and the Cultural Development Board approval/denial vote: 7 to 0)
Body
Hersha Hospitality (the “Developer”) is constructing a hotel at 4241 Aurora Street (the “Project”). The Developer has chosen the option of petitioning for a waiver of the Art in Public Places Fee requirement by commissioning and installing artwork within the project as specified in the Zoning Code, Article 3, Division 21.
The Developer selected Michele Oka Doner (the “Artist”) to proceed with a concept design proposal for artwork titled A Fertile Portal. The artwork is an intricate, decorative gilded artwork that will be embedded into the main entry glazing. The unique pattern is organic in its geometry and will encompass the entire glazing area of the main entry door system. This coverage will be made up of several glazing panels that will be inset as part of the door assembly. As a native Miamian, and an artist both seeped in and familiar with the particular landscape that surrounds Coral Gables built environment and surrounding streets, the artist will create an entrance façade that will immediately present a recognizable face to both visitors and locals alike.
Drawing inspiration from the natural world will add rhythms and patterns to the structure inherent in the building, creating an identity that resonates with the architecture and design. For example, abundant seed pods, encountered daily by pedestrians underfoot, translate seamlessly into hardware for the front entrance doors. When translated into a sculptural form in the studio and cast into bronze, this inspiration will seemingly imply that the entrance to the Merrick Park Hotel relates to...
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