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By: Kendall Porter/ Siuslaw News - Updated: 3 days ago

Aug. 30, 2022 — Florence’s Historic Old Town will look a little different in the coming months as the Art Exposed outdoor gallery is rotated this fall. The Florence Public Arts Committee (PAC) voted on its recommendations for the next bi-annual cycle on Monday, Aug. 29. Installation of the new pieces will begin in autumn of 2022.

The Art Exposed project was developed by the PAC in 2015 and works to “integrate art into the daily life of our community” by displaying art pieces in public spaces. It currently displays works such as “Low-Poly Open Heart (Ride)” by M.L. Duffy on Maple Street and the “Three Blue Spires” by Gerry Newcomb in the rain garden at the Siuslaw River Interpretive Center.

Along with the five current locations, three new spots have been added to the gallery for the 2022 cycle: at the Veterans Memorial Park, inside the Gazebo Park and the Florence Area Chamber of Commerce lawn.

PAC’s meeting began with a presentation from the Art Exposed subcommittee of its recommendations for the top three art pieces for each location and ended with the committee voting on a final decision.

The art selected by the PAC included the following, although the final selection may change due to availability:

During public comments, one person from the audience noted, “I also like that the feather seems to be kind of related to our Indigenous culture.”

“He’s been very popular with collectors, gallery viewers and the general public,” said Christine Santiago.

“I love the heart,” Peggy Meyer said. “I was walking by there yesterday and, in the early afternoon, it’s totally open and the sun was shining. I thought, ‘Oh, the heart would be magnificent.’”

All the final art pieces will be on sale while displayed in the outdoor gallery, with the City of Florence receiving a 30% commission from each one sold.

The four pieces currently on display are also on sale, for those who will miss seeing each art pieces’ place in the outdoor gallery.

Robert Killen of RAIN (Regional Accelerator Innovation Network) said, “I would challenge those who think of the arts, and many within the arts thinking of themselves, as an afterthought — the arts don’t decorate a community. The arts communicate your community’s character.”

For more information about the Art Exposed outdoor gallery, or the pieces currently on display, visit https://www.ci.florence.or.us/bc-pac/art-exposed-florences-rotating-outdoor-art-gallery .

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