Title
A Resolution approving the concept for a work of public art by Thomas Houseago in conjunction with the Villa Valencia development project at 515 Valencia Avenue 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: 8 to 0, and the Cultural Development Board approval/denial vote: 6 to 0).
Body
Villa Valencia (the “Developer”) is constructing a 39-unit condominium at 515 Valencia Avenue (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 Villa Valencia development team was presented with over fifteen national and international artists over the course of several months and proposed acquiring artwork by the artist Thomas Houseago for a dedicated space within a public park on the project site. Houseago utilizes mediums associated with classical and modernist sculpture, such as carved wood, clay, plaster, and bronze, as well as less traditional materials like rebar, brass, and hemp. Thomas Houseago builds monumental figures that show the work of the artist’s hand and visually oscillate between projections of power and vulnerability.
For this project, Thomas Houseago proposed a new work, “Lady”, based on a tabletop sculpture and following his investigations of the interplay between two dimensions and three dimensions. Houseago experiments with interlocking plywood, fitting shapes together and playing with how they work to represent solid form. Brass sheets are then cut, slotted together, and welded in a carefully engineered process. His work evokes simplicity in its construction while containing surprising dynamism and edge. “Lady” is proposed for a highly visibile location within the park and presents multi-faceted views as one enters from multiple di...
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