Collaborative art project unveiled
Dr. David Hire, center, superintendent of Coshocton City Schools, cuts the ribbon during the opening of the new art piece at the artPark on Friday, May 5. Beth Scott | Beacon
COSHOCTON – The artPark is now home to a new piece of artwork designed and constructed by students at Coshocton High School, along with the help of area businesses.
“This art piece represents the power of people collaborating and bringing their expertise and what they know to a project,” said Anne Cornell of the Pomerene Center for the Arts. “This is a major accomplishment that took months to do. I think it’s really interesting that everything is kind of up in the air about expertise, what is art, and what is professional, but this is a professional piece.”
The project began in October and culminated in a ribbon cutting ceremony on Friday, May 5 at the artPark.
The idea began when a group of art students went to an exhibit at Kenyan College. The exhibit featured many interactive art pieces and that’s when they decided the art in the artPark had to be interactive. About 20 students worked on the piece with the help of artist Yoni Mizrachi.
“I started off with letting the students brainstorm and sketch until they came up with something concrete,” said Mizrachi. “I wanted to help them think through their ideas of what they could actually do.”
Mizrachi said he is pleased with the final product.
“It’s really exciting,” he said. “All of these people came together to make it happen.”
The students came up with a general design and then presented that design to McWane Ductile. McWane then fabricated the various pieces, donating both parts and labor to the project.
Dr. David Hire, superintendent of Coshocton City Schools, cut the ribbon on Friday, officially opening the project to the community.
“It’s great to see something that is a collaborative effort between so many groups and students for people to enjoy,” said Dr. Hire. “What I really like about this is that it’s an interactive sculpture for the whole community. This is what can happen when people work together.”
Art Connects funders for the piece include Schooler Family Foundation, AEP, Century National Bank, Ohio Arts Council, and National Endowment for the Arts.
Category: Arts & Entertainment
