SOSer Still Saving Sculpture
SOS! interviewed Marie Nau Hunter, former project coordinator of Missouri SOS! and current manager at the City of Columbia Office of Cultural Affairs. Her current responsibilities include management of the city’s public art collection. She was responsible for Missouri SOS! from December 1993 to June 1996; the project’s 200 volunteers surveyed more than 200 sculptures.
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| Work to repair Columbia's Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial got underway in earnest in 2004 after a year of community fundraising and a Save America's Treasures grant. Originally placed in 1993 by artist Barbara Grygutis, the Memorial suffered damage for years from water run off. The multi-year approach to restoration included a test phase to confirm that new materials and drainage systems were solving the problems. Re-dedication is set for August 28, 2006, 13 years after its original dedication and also the anniversary of King's "I Have a Dream" speech in 1963. |
How did you become involved with the Columbia public art program?
After I left the Museum of Art and Archaeology, the grantee for the Missouri SOS! project, I spent one year working in membership and fundraising for our local public radio station. When a position came open with the city's Office of Cultural Affairs in 1998, I jumped at it. The city's newly established Percent for Art program (in 1997) was one thing that had really captured my interest when I applied. And I've been here since.
How does your experience with SOS! help influence your work with public art?
First and foremost, I really recognize the true value of publicly accessible art—that it is in the everyday experience for all to see and enjoy. And certainly that public art enhances a city in so many ways (i.e., quality of life, economic impact, beautification, education, etc.). Likewise, I am very mindful that we must plan for the care of our art as we commission it, just as we plan for care of public buildings, streets, and sidewalks.
How many artworks are in the collection?
Seven major installations have resulted from the Percent for Art program since 1997. Prior to that, the city had a variety of other publicly accessible works it acquired over the years, including a series of 12 murals in the Municipal Courtroom painted in the 1930s, a Statue of Liberty replica erected in the 1950s, and a large contemporary sculpture placed in the 1970s.
Does the city have a maintenance plan and funding for conservation?
Yes! With each new Percent for Art project, we set aside a maintenance fund, generally 10 percent of the total project funds. The first two Percent projects did not have this done, but we've gone back and established the maintenance funds through the City’s Share the Light program. The program allows citizens to make one-time or monthly donations with their utility bill payments, and public art is one of six areas they can choose. More information is available at: http://www.gocolumbiamo.com/Trust/share.html. Scroll down the page to read the public art section as it refers to maintenance; I think this is a really great program! It helped the city raise funds to conserve our Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial as well as establish a $20,000 maintenance endowment.
Are there similar programs elsewhere in Missouri?
The Columbia Percent for Art program is one of just two in the state; the other is Kansas City. Our projects are generally smaller because we’re a smaller city with smaller building projects (art budgets have ranged from $8,500 to $75,000).
Are you currently working on a conservation project(s)?
Yes! We are in the middle of a multi-phased project to conserve our Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial. We received $98,000 from Save America's Treasures; an additional $75,000 was raised locally.
Is education a part of your responsibility (adult or youth)?
Definitely. We provide a lot of technical assistance to the volunteers and staff of local arts organizations. And several of our services are education/public awareness based, in terms of publicizing arts opportunities. We've had great success with our arts education programming that has been paired with our Percent for Art projects, usually in the form of an artist in residence. We also implement a summer program that employs at-risk youth in the arts.
In addition to managing public art, what are your other responsibilities?
I manage the Office of Cultural Affairs and have two other staffers. In addition to our Percent for Art program, we allocate city funds to local arts organizations, produce an annual multi-discipline Festival of the Arts, and implement a variety of other arts-based services (newsletter, Artists' Registry, Arts Roundtable meetings, etc.). I am a member of the boards of the Missouri Citizens for the Arts and the Missouri Alliance for Arts Education as well.
Thanks for saving outdoor sculpture Marie!
For more information, visit www.GoColumbiaMo.com/Arts/ or contact Marie Nau Hunter at mnh@GoColumbiaMo.com.