By Chad Pelishek, Director of Planning and Development
Over the past few weeks, the area at City Green that is fenced off has been prepared for a new art installation named P.E.A.R.L., which stands for Prism, Emitting, Abstracted, Radiant, Light installation. Created by artist and architect Michael Moore and his architecture firm, tres birds workshop, P.E.A.R.L. will be a seen as a communal space where art, music, and literature merge. This art piece was inspired by the Sheboygan community’s experiences with wild animals as well as the connection between the John Michael Kohler Arts Center, the Mead Public Library, and the future Art Preserve. Community conversations and workshops led tres birds to create a focal point in the form of a glass sphere that emits and reflects light, and is lit from within at night. The entire sculpture is nestled between three moraines, or hills, that can be walked on and interacted with.
Join the community as a celebration of P.E.A.R.L.’s grand opening happens at 5:30 pm on Thursday August 23, 2018 at City Green as a prelude to the final Levitt AMP Sheboygan Concert Series at the City Green. The Levitt AMP Concert begins at 6:00 pm with the opening performance by Invisible Cartoon, at 7:00 pm the featured performer Delhi 2 Dublin will take the stage with their version of World Fusion Hip-Hop. Delhi 2 Dublin has a way with world music that people will want to experience.
Two other placemaking projects were recently approved by the City of Sheboygan Public Works Committee. The first project is titled “Threading a Dream” and will be located on the back side of the Mead Public Library along New York Avenue. The John Michael Kohler Arts Center Connecting Communities program will be erecting a 3D mural consisting of overlapping layers. The project will create a unique portrait of Sheboygan with a message of hope and new beginning for all. The installation of this art piece will be occurring in the next two weeks.
The final art installation is called the “Living Room Project.” This project will be located at the intersection of the N. 8th Street and Wisconsin Avenue. The project is being completed in partnership with Active8 (formerly SOUP) and will consist of a painted “living room carpet” by a local artist on the concrete and living room style furniture either constructed from wood and/or concrete by Quasius Construction. The project will encourage the positive exchange of conversation on the street similar to the situation that a living room accomplishes.
These three art installations are in addition to others that have been previously installed in the alley by the Stefanie Weill Center for the Performing Arts and the alley near Mavericks Barber Shop.
As Patrice Frey, President and CEO of National Main Street Center stated, “there is this craving, this sense of place and connectedness, that is only provided in small town America. Placemaking helps us unlock the power of place and intensify that sense of connectedness, it is a path to longer term economic transformation.” As more and more small towns start to embrace placemaking, Sheboygan is very fortunate to have great partners like the John Michael Kohler Arts Center, Sheboygan Squared, and Active 8 with forward thinkers to foster new examples of placemaking our fine city.