Boone

Photo contest will develop DBDA public art program

By Frank Ruggiero

ruggiero@wataugademocrat.com

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.

“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,” DBDA assistant director Mary 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 would 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.