New Public Art Approved for Culturally Diverse Iowa City

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New Public Art Approved for Culturally Diverse Iowa City

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  uploaded by Drew Bulman | add comment

IOWA CITY - The Public Art Advisory Committee of Iowa City selected Aaron Franck's sculpture "Tunnel Vision" to be displayed in the downtown pedestrian mall Thursday.  The motion passed with a vote of 8-0 after the review of two additional submissions from Jerry Couger of Waterloo, Iowa and Danuta Hutchins of Storm Lake, Iowa.

Committee member Terry Trueblood noted that all three submissions were "considerably different from anything we've had in the past."  Franck's 7' tall metal sculpture was selected by Committee member Rick Fosse and seconded by Patrick Carney, with hopes that the sculpture might be implemented in time for the June 6-8 Iowa City Art Festival.

Once displayed, the Cedar Rapids resident's sculpture will stand for one year before being replaced by a new submission.  The piece is set to compliment other sculptures featured within the pedestrian mall, a cultural focal point within the city.  Iowa City was named the eighth most enlightened town in America by Utne Magazine in 1997, in addition to being named the third best small metropolitan area in the country by Forbes Magazine in 2004.

Committee members noted that Franck's sculpture is not only pleasing to look at, but sturdy in light of Iowa City's active campus.  In selecting public art, structural integrity has come to the forefront of the Committee's considerations after a statue of journalist Irving Weber was deliberately knocked over in 2007, resulting in damages of nearly $1,300.

    Additional work by Aaron Franck may be viewed on his website.