Title
A Resolution approving the concept for a work of public art by Michele Oka Doner in conjunction with The Plaza Coral Gables development project at 2901 Ponce De Leon Boulevard 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: 7 to 0, and the Cultural Development Board approval/denial vote: 7 to 0).
Body
Agave Plaza Trustee (the “Developer”) is constructing a mixed-use project at 2901 Ponce de Leon Boulevard, The Plaza (the “Project”). The Developer has chosen the option of petitioning for a waiver of the Art in Public Places Fee requirement by acquiring and installing artwork within the project as specified in the Zoning Code, Article 3, Division 21.
The Agave development team met artist Michele Oka Doner at her studio in New York and invited her to propose an outdoor piece for one of the green spaces on The Plaza. Ms. Doner proposed a monumental ritual ring bench and bronze table circling a large specimen Oak tree. The proposed 17 (seventeen) foot diameter bench includes surface details bringing an aesthetic nod to the fauna of South Florida. The bronze material speaks of timelessness and endurance and will be a patinated green applied by hand to create a stippled effect to enhance the feeling of deep shade provided by the leafy dome of the majestic oak, playing with the notion of sunlight moving through the leaves. Their circular forms promote community while encouraging people of all ages to sit and pause for a moment of reflection.
Following review by the Arts Advisory Panel, Ms. Doner expanded the breadth of the work to include integrated lighting elements above and custom paving surrounding the artwork.
Michele Oka Doner is an internationally acclaimed artist whose career spans four decades. Her artistic medium encompasses sculpture, public art, functional objects, and more. Oka Doner's work is fueled by a lifelong study an...
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