Art in Common Places, Part 1

Art in Common Places is a project after my own heart. The non-profit-to-be was founded earlier this year by artist Leslie Butterfield, poet Teresa Carson and arts advocate Cynthia Burnell. Its mission is to put art in public places where people can enjoy it in their everyday lives. And while the project has a broad scope, the focus is on creating displays in locations where people who don't ordinarily seek out art will encounter them. 

The project pairs an artist and a poet to create a combined work of art in which the image and the words speak to and build upon each other. A conscious effort has been made to include artists working across mediums. One partnership even includes the work of a jewelry maker. Yes, art can take many forms. 

When the collaboration is complete, a professional photographer captures the image and a graphic artist designs a 12x18 broadside for display. And here's the kicker. Each display includes a pocket filled with postcards of the work that people can take home to share with a friend via snail mail - or keep for their own viewing pleasure. Brilliant. 

"Egg: Web of Connection" by Leslie Butterfield; "By Mary Ann's Front Door" by Nell Hillsley;  "Lauds (Payne Park) by Teresa Carson

Not surprisingly, the initial collaboration for the project was between Butterfield and Carson. It was around Easter, and Butterfield and some friends had engaged in a friendly Easter egg decorating competition. This led Butterfield to wonder if her portion of the collaboration might feature an egg. Why not? As the two shared their work, Butterfield was inspired to write parts of Carson's poem on the egg and then collage it with ripped up bits of paper. As the poem evolved, Butterfield searched for an appropriate background for the work. She found a photo of a painting of her mother's front door created by her mentor Nell Hillsley. It fit well with Carson's words evoking the break of day on a beautiful morning. The project was off to a terrific start.  

The idea for Art in Common Places came, in part, from NYC's Poetry in Motion program. The project was launched in 1992 as a collaboration between the City's Transit Authority and the Poetry Society of America. What better way to expose people to the joy of a beautiful poem than offering it to them as part of their morning commute?  

Sarasota doesn't, however, have a widely used mass transit system. So the displays created by Art in Common Places are being placed throughout the community in spaces like laundromats, public housing facilities, community centers, libraries and the occasional Panera. In other words, in locations where people linger for a little while. Once a month, the broadsides and postcards are switched out for a new work. The goal is to have the ten different broadsides placed in 50 locations by the end of the year. As of today, visitors to 47 venues have the opportunity to enjoy these collaborative creations.

"Journey" by Judy Just; Poem by Mimi White

Some locations are happy for Art in Common Places to post whichever of the broadsides are available. On occasion, though, a request is made about the style of art to be displayed. It was asked, for instance, that works placed in Sarasota's workforce housing be upbeat given how down people are now with COVID and its impact on the job market. The work combining Judy Just's vibrant abstract and Mimi White's poem was selected for this location. (In case your eyes are a little old like mine, the poem reads: "the heart divided/between beauty and sorrow/lives for centuries".)

As a fledgling organization, Art in Common Places doesn't yet have a website where the completed works can be seen. That will come next year, along with a bit of fanfare when the organization partners with Sarasota County to celebrate its centennial. New collaborations are in the works relating to the founding of Sarasota, its history as a center for circus arts and its status as a premier locale for mid-century modern architecture. I'm already looking forward to the presentations to be held at local libraries. 

I'll close by mentioning that every participant in Art in Common Places--from the artists and poets to the organizers to the people posting the broadsides--is a volunteer. They are all committed to the idea that art enhances our lives. And in case you're wondering, the cost of creating one broadside and the related postcards is $150. Contributions are happily accepted. For more information about the project, email artincommonplaces@gmail.com. 

Next up: Visual artist Judy Levine and poet Jeanne Marie Beaumont on their collaboration for Art in Common Places.  

Postscript: I would be remiss if I didn't share the poetry included on the broadsides included in this post. 

          Time Has No Face (excerpt) by Alison Watkins

Time has no face we know as our own. 

It is a giant posing in the silvery light

of its own gaze. It is a spoken song.

A repeated sunrise. A point of view

from the language of angels. 

Lauds (Payne Park) by Teresa Carson

Spaces between monumental clouds,

let pass a luminosity,

which falls just so on fields still topped

with dew, revealing countless threads

connecting blade to every other blade. 

Fragile, yet persistent, threads--

broken each day by those of us

unmindful of their presence, mended

in the night by creatures well aware

the web of connections helps them stay alive.