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By Frank Ruggiero
The Downtown Boone Development Association is hoping for a picture
perfect fund-raiser.
It just so happens Mast General Store in Boone is going to outfit
the organization’s wish by way of a photography competition
this July. A portion of the proceeds will benefit the DBDA,
which will, in turn, fund its public art program.
 Kevin
Eichner's piece, "Ferreus Intumus," will be
unveiled near Boone Town Hall on Aug. 3, as part of
the Downtown Boone Development Association's public art
program.
Photo by Frank Ruggiero |
“This is the beginning of a fund-raising campaign that
Mast will do to support the public art program,” Mast general
manager Tommy White said.
The public art program entails the beautification of downtown
Boone by incorporating artwork into the downtown aesthetic.
Mast General Store has artists of its own, however. The photo
competitors are all employees of Mast, spanning its entire breadth
of departments, including graphic design, management, sales
and e-commerce, White said.
Viewers will be able to enjoy a variety of different photographic
genres, from adventure and nature to landscapes to portraits,
and the pieces will be for sale. The competition will be held
Saturday, July 28, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
White promised that more art-based, fund-raising events can
be expected in the near future. And the town of Boone can expect
more art from the DBDA. The public art program’s first
manifestations will rise near Boone Town Hall, where two art
pieces and a pocket park will be unveiled in early August.
The pieces will adorn the planter box adjacent to town hall,
while a crescent-shaped planter will be built behind the current
planter between the Vetro building and parking lot entrance.
Two sculptures will accompany the planters – “Amplexari”
and “Ferreus Intumus” by Moncure artist Kevin Eichner.
Eichner will loan the pieces to the town of Boone for one year,
and the Boone Town Council approved partial funding for the
project, which costs an estimated $11,500.
The unveiling ceremony will be held Friday, Aug. 3, at 5 p.m.
The event will feature food and drink, as well as a meet-and-greet
with Eichner.
“It’ll be people just hanging out, enjoying the work
and talking to the artist and some of the people that have been
involved,” Baker said. “These are the first official
sculptures in downtown Boone.”
Baker expects the street garden portion of the project to be
completed within the next few months. This aspect would incorporate
green space with trees as a focal point, along with benches
and new planting boxes for wildflowers and plants.
In another facet of the public art project, the DBDA is working
to establish a gateway to the town of Boone, which would be
situated near the Poplar Grove Connector off West King Street
and near the county health department. The Watauga County commissioners
agreed to lease the small area of land to the DBDA for one dollar
a year, and the finished product should feature a welcome sign
and pedestrian-friendly seats or benches, among other park-like
amenities.
To aid in this particular effort, the DBDA received a $6,000
grant from the Appalachian Regional Commission. In addition,
Baker said the association applied for a $2,500 N.C. Arts Council
grant.
Baker expects development of the gateway project to begin in
spring. “I think we’ve been very successful,”
she said. “We’ve been glad at how quickly things have
picked up. A lot of people are getting really interested and
excited about getting involved.”
To get involved, and for more information, call the Downtown
Boone Development Association at (828) 262-4532.
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