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| PUBLIC ART INITIATIVES |
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| DYNAMIC DOORS |
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| HORSE MANIA 2000 |
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Mary Wathen
Gary Bibbs
Minds Wide Open
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During the summer and fall of 2003, downtown Lexington and surrounding neighborhoods became an outdoor contemporary art gallery. Organized by the Lexington Arts & Cultural Council (in partnership with the Lexington Housing Authority and the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government), Dynamic Doors : Portals to Creativity featured 126 doors transformed into works of art by artists from Central Kentucky and the region, as well as by community groups and schools here in Lexington.
Prior to the outdoor exhibition the LACC mounted an exhibition of proposals generated for this unique public art event at its Downtown Arts Center . On display were 149 proposals culled from a pool of 287 by a jury of arts professionals and community volunteers. “We wanted the public to see first hand how the artists responded to our call for ideas,” stated Jim Clark, LACC's President, “and to have a complete public art experience, from concept to realization. In a small way,” Clark continued, “it helps to reveal the creative process and the evolution of a public artwork.”
Tom Kessinger (LACC board member and Chairman of the Dynamic Doors Advisory Committee) stated, “In economic terms, the project attracted thousands of visitors benefiting businesses in the downtown area” Kesssinger stated, “but it also yielded positive social benefits by bringing together a diverse array of artists working with community groups and schools.”
The concept of Dynamic Doors came about in response to the demolition of the Lexington 's Bluegrass/Aspendale Housing Complex – Kentucky 's oldest public housing development (1937) built on the site of the historic Kentucky Association race course (1828-1935). During the fall of 2002, a group of stalwart volunteers salvaged 200 doors from the site envisioning the potential for a public art event in the style of Horse Mania. With that in mind, the LACC sent a “call for entries” to 5,000 artists in Kentucky and surrounding states.
Using a blind selection process (meaning the jurors did not see the names of the artists) the jurors selected a range of proposals reflecting a variety of themes, techniques and media. “Some artists responded to the history of the site, while others focused on the ‘door' as a universal symbol of passage and transformation,” Clark said. While the grand majority of artists have kept the door intact, a few architects and sculptors have proposed reconfiguring the door into a 3-D sculptural form.
In addition to the corporate sponsored doors, twenty-nine doors were completed by local schools and community groups. “We wanted this to be a real community effort,” Clark stated, “that would offer opportunities for our youth to work side by side with professional artists and, in turn, become more engaged in public art, local history and urban design concerns.”
The doors were on exhibit in downtown Lexington and surrounding areas from July 1 through November 17, 2003.