IPNL Director of Research, Leigh N. Hersey, recently presented this presentation on Public Art at Baseball Parks at the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY.
1. ART IN THE PARK: THE ROLE OF
PUBLIC ART IN BASEBALL PARKS
P R E S E N T E D A T T H E 2 4 TH C O O P E R S T O W N S Y M P O S I U M
ON BASEBALL AND AMERICAN CULTURE, MAY 31, 2012
Bryna Bobick & Leigh Hersey, University of Memphis
2. WHAT IS PUBLIC ART?
PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION & POLICY VIEWPOINT
• Public Art “…is the most publicly visible
and is paid for largely by public funds.”
(Hunting, 2005)
3. WHAT IS PUBLIC ART?
ART PROFESSIONALS VIEWPOINTS
• “’Public art’ is a broad term that refers to
art in public spaces and includes
architecture, landscape, and urban
design.” (Argiro, 2004)
• Public art is virtually any piece of art that
is “created by artists for places accessible
to and used by the public.” (Americans for the Arts, 2012)
• Public art can be defined as artworks
outside museum and gallery walls. (Russell, 2004)
4. DEVELOPMENT OF PUBLIC ART
• Different approaches to public art began to occur
quickly in the United States in 1967 when the
National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) created its
Art-In-Public Places Program.
• The goal was to give the public access to the best art
outside museum walls. (Lacy, 1995, Russell, 2004)
• From 1967-1995 funded the creation of more than 700
works.
• More recently state and local agencies have been
created to support public art, particularly in
conjunction with new capital projects.
• 81% of public art programs are government programs; the
remaining 19% are nonprofit organizations. (Becker, 2004)
6. PUBLIC ART IN BASEBALL PARKS
• Primary Types
• Honor team’s history
7. WRIGLEY FIELD
CHICAGO CUBS
Ernie Banks, “Mr. Cub” by Chicago artist Lou Cella Harry Carey, by Omri Amrany & Lou Cella
Photo by Kalea Yoshida; Used with permission Photo by fantabandfrugal, Licensed by
Creative Commons.
8. PUBLIC ART IN BASEBALL PARKS
• Primary Types
• Honor team’s history
• Showcase baseball experience
13. SCULPTURE
SAFECO Field Rogers Centre
Seattle Mariners Toronto Blue Jays
Mitt by Gerard Tsutakawa The Audience, by Michael Snow
Photo by Alan Cordova, Licensed by Creative Photo by Saschaporsche, Licensed by Creative
Commons. Commons
20. NEW BALLPARKS
• Nationals Park, Washington Nationals, 2008
• Yankee Stadium, New York Yankees, 2009
• Citi Field, New York Mets, 2009
21. NEW YORK CITY
Yankee Stadium Citi Field
New York Yankees New York Mets
Top: Mets Hall
of Fame;
Left: Jackie
Robinson
Pavillion.
Photos by Ray
Colon, License
d by Creative
Commons
Yankee Stadium, Gate 6;
Photo by Leigh Hersey
22. NEW BALLPARKS
• Nationals Park, Washington Nationals, 2008
• Yankee Stadium, New York Yankees, 2009
• Citi Field, New York Mets, 2009
• Target Park, Minnesota Twins, 2010
23. TARGET FIELD
MINNESOTA TWINS
Photo by Baseball Oogie
Photography; used with
permission
Kirby Puckett
Harmon Killebrew
Photos by afagen, Licensed by
Photo by rburtzel, Licensed by Creative Commons
Creative Commons
Player statues by Minnesota-based artist Bill Mack.
24. NEW BALLPARKS
• Nationals Park, Washington Nationals, 2008
• Yankee Stadium, New York Yankees, 2009
• Citi Field, New York Mets, 2009
• Target Field, Minnesota Twins, 2010
• Marlins Park, Miami Marlins, 2012
25. MARLINS PARK
MIAMI MARLINS
Home Run Sculpture, Red Grooms
Photo courtesy, Ed Solomon (aka Ed in South Florida); Used with permission.
26. MARLINS PARK
MIAMI MARLINS
Photos by Dan Lundberg,
Licensed by Creative Commons.
Plaza walkway by Carlos Cruz-Diez
Orange Bowl, by Daniel Arsham
27. FULFILLING THE ROLES OF PUBLIC ART
• “Public art makes public spaces more
beautiful, encourages us to pause and interact with
our environment, or reminds us of important people
and events.” (Argiro, 2004)
• “…place-making, environmental art and
activism, cause-related art, and interdisciplinary
performance events.” (Americans for the Arts, 2012)
• “engage civic dialogue and community; attract
attention and economic benefit; connect artists
with communities; and enhance public
appreciation of art.” (Becker, 2004)
28. BALLPARK ART & EDUCATION
• Access to public art can be a benefit for students of all
ages; however, it tends to be overlooked as learning
and teaching resources. (Coutts, 2004)
• Authors (Argiro 2004), Russell (2004) and (Buffington &
Waldner, 2012) encourage art educators to take
advantage of public art as original artwork for students
to experience firsthand.
• Just as often, public sculptures become such a part of
our everyday experience that we overlook them
altogether. However, when given a close, fresh look,
these sculptures can be amazing teaching tools, and
provide a great jumping-off point for discussions of
history, math, science, and art. (Argiro, 2004)
29. SAFECO FIELD
SEATTLE MARINERS
Quilts, Ross Palmer Beecher
Photos courtesy: Steve Mandich, http://stevemandich.blogspot.com/2009_06_01_archive.html; used with
permission.
30. CONTACT INFORMATION
Bryna Bobick, Ed.D Leigh N. Hersey, PhD
Assistant Professor Assistant Professor
Art Education Division of Public and
Nonprofit Administration
University of Memphis Director of Research
Art and Communication Institute for Philanthropy and
Building Nonprofit Leadership
3715 Central Avenue University of Memphis
Memphis, TN 38152 130 McCord Hall
Memphis, TN 38152
bbobick@memphis.edu 901-678-1754
lnhersey@memphis.edu
Research sponsored in part by
the Institute for Philanthropy & Nonprofit Leadership at the University of Memphis. www.memphis.edu/ipnl
Notas del editor
"Public art" is a broad term that refers to art in public spaces and includes architecture, landscape, and urban design.. (Argiro, 2004)As the field has grown, the definition of public art has evolved to include: place-making, environmental art and activism, cause-related art, and interdisciplinary performance events. http://www.americansforthearts.org/information_services/research/impact_areas/arts_environments/005.aspTypically, public art has been funded by city government for city-owned property. As private companies become more involved in city planning and development, the public art field sees a growing opportunity to obtain funding and space for future public art works. (AFTA)More recently state and local agencies have been created to support public art, particularly in new capital projects. – ½ of 1% in the state of washington http://www.arts.gov/artworks/?tag=art-in-public-places-program
''The folklore is it's Charlie (pitching) and Tim McCarver (catching),'' said Dave Chase, president and general manager of the Redbirds from 2002 to '09. The statue captures Lea's signature windup -- arching back, head peeking over his left shoulder and his high left leg kick hiding his left elbow before delivery. (http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2011/nov/13/ex-pitcher-lea-found-dead-at-home/). Artists, Jim Green, Don Merkt, and Gary Sweeney colaboratively designed a multi media public art project at the Memphis Redbirds Stadium at AutoZone Park. According to the Urban Art Commission, this project was designed to heighten the community's sense of pride and is the first stadium of its kind to incorporate public art. (2000)
Cella also did the statue of Ron Santo & OmriAmrany was part of Nationals team.Sadly, the Banks statue is another boring batting stance post. The Harry Caray piece is interesting - I like the idea behind it, but I don't think it quite works. The disembodied heads don't look quite right. http://www.wezen-ball.com/2010-articles/february/baseballs-best-statues-by-ballpark.html
You see more of these with newer teams that do not have the history and tradition to showcase.
According to one baseball blogger, the Pirates have the best statues: Honus Wagner, Willie Stargell, Roberto Clemente, & a pair of NegroLeague statues. There's a lot to like about these statues. They're simple, elegant statues and aren't boring. Even the Stargell statue, with it's run-of-the-mill batting stance pose, looks great (it helps to have Stargell as your model). With the Mazeroski statue set to join these few, it's only going to get better. http://www.wezen-ball.com/2010-articles/february/baseballs-best-statues-by-ballpark.html 2010
Seattle artist Gerry Tsutakawa created a cast bronze sculpture of the abstract form of a catcher’s mitt or old-fashioned baseball glove. Standing nine feet tall and about twelve feet wide, this mitt identifies a natural place for fans to meet friends before or after the game. At the base of the "thumb", an aperture appears as an abstract symbol of the baseball in the mitt, where the ball is to be caught, or a hole where a fast ball burned through. Located just outside the northwest entrance to the Ballpark, the sculpture has become an icon of SAFECO FIELD and is enjoyed by all, whether a ticket-holder or not. Public Facilities District Board, http://www.ballpark.org/art.htmThe art selection process began with a Call for Artists sent to artists and arts organizations in Washington, Oregon and British Columbia – the primary geographic reach of the Mariners baseball team.SAFECO Field has 9 public art pieces, including the parking garage.Michael Snow: The Audience (1989) located at the SkyDome (now Rogers Centre in Toronto) a collection of larger than life depictions of fans located above the northeast and northwest entrances. Painted gold, the sculptures show fans in various acts of celebration.
A Note for Hope by Chicago artist Jeff Zimmerman.One of the few artworks that does not reflect baseball. Assisted by Rhodes students and Center for Outreach in the Development of the Arts staff, Zimmermann painted an original, five-story high mural on the east side of the vacant building located at 195 Madison Avenue. The building is owned by Rhodes trustee Wilton “Chick” Hill, and the mural will be visible from the stands of the Memphis Redbirds stadium. Since November 2007, the project has been in development with Hill working with Rhodes students on project management. The UrbanArt Commission provided advisory and logistical support in addition to coordinating the students' apprenticeship in public art planning methods. In essence, this project is the result of an extended class project. The largest exterior mural in Memphis, it was designated a cultural landmark by the State of Tennessee, and was featured in the New York Times and on the "Today Show". 7 Pieces of Public Art Every Memphian Should Know.One of the few baseball park artworks that does not directly speak to the sport.
Big Train in MotionThe statue of Hall of Famer Walter Johnson at Nationals Park in DC on Opening Day for the baseball game between the Washington Nationals and the Philadelphia Phillies. The Nats lost 9-8.
Yankee stadium has statues of legendary players inside, but brings to light question of what is publicness. Contrast this to Seattle’s view that public art there “is enjoyed by all, whether a ticket-holder or not.”
Carl R. Pohlad (August 23, 1915 – January 5, 2009) was a successful financier and the owner of the Minnesota Twins baseball franchise from 1984 (succeeding Calvin Griffith) until his death in 2009.Minnesota-based artist Bill Mack.baseball player status representing a season of Twins baseball, outside the main ticket area at Target Field, Minneapolis, MN, 08/14/10. Please credit Baseball Oogie Photography.
Owner Jeffrey Loria is an art dealer, and as Michael Kimmelman, a culture and society writer for the New York Times noted, “he cared more than most about aesthetics and took a gamble — part old-school civic improvement plan, part marketing strategy — that Miamians will recognize themselves in the stylishness of the place. (http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/28/arts/design/marlins-park-in-miami-baseballs-newest-stadium.html?_r=1He has festooned concourses and stairwells with art, photographs and sculpture. With painted pink flamingoes, palm trees, blue marlins and flowing waves, it's supposed to be some sort of boisterous celebration of South Florida, but it looks more like a cheap design for a miniature golf course. Descriptions of this piece “monstrosity,” “garish”, “a joke” Artist Red Grooms, : Home Run Sculpture, 2010 – 2012, painted steel with mechanized elements.According to Anne Tschida with the Biscayne Times: The Marlins stadium features four site-specific projects that will make it stand out dramatically from other sports stadiums around the country. With a whopping $5.2 million budget from Miami-Dade’s Art in Public Places program (thanks to an ordinance allocating 1.5 percent of construction costs of county buildings for the purchase or commission of artworks), http://www.biscaynetimes.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=566:miami-scores-with-marlins-art&catid=38:art-a-culture&Itemid=154
Cruz-Diez, an icon in his native Venezuela and famous since the 1960s for his work involving sensory manipulation, will use a paving system based on color, line, and viewer perception to create visual signage to the various stadium entrances.At the east entrance, Arsham will erect his Orange Bowl tribute. Across this plaza, ten-foot-high reproductions of the letters that spelled out “Orange Bowl” on the old stadium will be scattered -- some standing, some leaning, some on their sides, “as though they had fallen from the old stadium and landed like that -- in a state between deconstruction and rebuilding,” Arsham says. So how were these artists -- two stalwarts of contemporary art and a well-respected up-and-comer -- chosen for this monumental undertaking? Through a process that was smooth, professional, and efficient -- not exactly what some cynics would expect of county government. “A call to artists was issued internationally,” says Brandi Reddick, communications and artists manager for Art in Public Places. “We received 432 applications, representing 19 countries. From these 432 applications, 18 artists were invited to develop site-specific project proposals.”Other art: “Baseball Manager” by Roy LichtensteinWarhol-ized players “We will have the finest artworks of any stadium in the nation,” says a proud Michael Spring, director of Miami-Dade’s Department of Cultural Affairs, which oversees Art in Public Places. “And our ballpark will be distinguished by how prominent and integrated the art is into the very architectural features of the facility.”Another big difference: You must pay to see the artwork in Dallas. Not so in Miami, notes Michael Spring: “You don’t need to buy a ticket to experience the work. You can be at home, watching the Marlins on TV, and cheering as Red Grooms’s sculpture ‘goes off,’ with marlins leaping and lasers blazing, or driving on the expressway at night witnessing Daniel Arsham’s super columns.”Unlike the Marlins’ front office, Spring has no problem commenting on the stadium’s ambitious public-arts projects: “Miami-Dade County will have the most culturally conceived sports facility in the nation, both architecturally and artistically.”
As the field has grown, the definition of public art has evolved to include: place-making, environmental art and activism, cause-related art, and interdisciplinary performance events. http://www.americansforthearts.org/information_services/research/impact_areas/arts_environments/005.aspBecker - Many public artists use unconventional materials and often work in partnerships with local people, architects and planners.
ST. Louis has a nice curriculum packet for the city’s public art, but doesn’t include any from Busch Stadium.
Ross Palmer BeecherSeattle artist Ross Palmer Beecher created two large "quilts" made from pieces of found metal stitched together with red wire similar to the stitching on a baseball. Pieces of discarded pop cans and other metal containers create the logos of all Major League Baseball teams. These logos are "sewn" onto license plates of the states from which that team hails, forming one of the quilts. The other quilt makes references to the history of baseball in the Pacific Northwest, recalling the Seattle Rainiers and earlier days of the Seattle Mariners. A series of such images is again made up of found metal and "sewn" onto old Washington license plates. This quilt is bordered with carved fir frames that are painted with familiar scenes from a baseball game. Her work is mounted on facing walls at the Main Concourse level at the southeast entry. Recesses have been built into the walls to hold her works, which are covered with tempered glass frames. I've walked past Ross Palmer Beecher's art at Safeco Field a million times but never really stopped to check it out 'til today. It's super cool.She made a giant quilt, with each piece representing one of baseball's 30 major league teams with their circa '99 logos, by stitching together aluminum cans and license plates from the teams' respective states. Also, there's another dozen or so pieces based on various Washington state team logos from over the years, including the Seattle Pilots, Seattle Rainiers, Tacoma Rainiers, Everett AquaSox, and the Spokane Chiefs. Each mini-quilt has a square wooden frame with a unique baseball-themed painting, bordered by a bunch of bottlecaps.