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Harrisonburg public forum to seek additional feedback on future downtown art project

Crystal Graham

downtown art projectThe City of Harrisonburg, The Arts Council of the Valley and Harrisonburg Downtown Renaissance continue to seek community input for a new public art project that will serve as a gateway to the city’s downtown.

A public forum open to all in the community will take place on Monday, Sept. 12, from 6 to 7 p.m., at the Lucy F. Simms Continuing Education Center at 620 Simms Ave. in Harrisonburg.

The event will provide opportunity for interested individuals to have conversations with city staff and others on the project team about the theme, style and focus they would like to see represented in the new art project.

An online survey was already conducted, allowing people across Harrisonburg an opportunity to shape the future display.

The art will sit at downtown’s northern entrance, where North Main Street and Noll Drive split in the area of Merge Coffee. It will be located in the yellow hatched area between the roadways. Another sculpture, located on the southern end of downtown, is located where Main Street and Liberty Street come together.

The sculpture, which will be funded by federal community development block grant funds, should be a project that will stand the test of time, bring the Harrisonburg community together, and showcase the values and vision of The Friendly City.

“The city looks forward to hearing more input from the community as we move forward with this exciting project,” Harrisonburg community development block grant coordinator Kristin McCombe said. “We welcome all individuals to attend with their thoughts and ideas.”

Following this input session, a committee including a city council representative, city staff and local representatives will begin the process of using community input to outline what the project will include and locate an artist to complete the work.

More information regarding the project will be posted to the city’s social media pages once available.

 

Harrisonburg seeks feedback to drive future downtown public art project
Posted Sunday, Jul. 3, 2022, 3:26 pm

Crystal Graham

Crystal Graham

Crystal Abbe Graham is the regional editor of Augusta Free Press. A 1999 graduate of Virginia Tech, she has worked for 25 years as a reporter and editor for several Virginia publications, written a book, and garnered more than a dozen Virginia Press Association awards for writing and graphic design. She was the co-host of "Viewpoints," a weekly TV news show, and co-host of Virginia Tonight, a nightly TV news show on PBS. Her work on "Virginia Tonight" earned her a national Telly award for excellence in television.