Hunt County Public Art, a Keep Greenville Beautiful project, is proud to announce three major pieces of artwork it plans to install in 2016.
With two new projects in downtown Greenville and one in Commerce planned for next year, the group is continuing its goal of beautifying and revitalizing Hunt County by putting bold, large-scale original artwork in public spaces.
The three new pieces are:

be seen, by Brian Weaver

This large steel sculpture covered in a durable surface will be installed on a small wall at the Renshaw Davis & Ferguson law firm at 2900 Lee St. in Greenville. This attention-getting sculpture is designed to let people photograph themselves within the fun artwork, using a double-sided design.

Find Your Match, by Bob Bird

Painted on the Herald-Banner’s cinder-block wall at 2305 King St., this artwork uses a careful selection of colors that lets viewers play a matching game. Each individually mixed color will be applied to only two squares, letting you try to find the pair when you look at it.

Bridge Crossing, by JJ Savage

Intended as the next step in a sculpture park in Commerce, this piece is planned to be installed near David Zvanut’s Eternal Carousel, across from the Commerce City Park. It uses wooden bridge timbers sunk into the ground like dominoes, creating a graceful arch that leaves the impression of a bridge over the ground.
Funding for the projects will be raised at the 2016 Hearts for the Arts Gala on Saturday, Feb. 6, 2016. The event will begin at 6:30 p.m. in the Emerald Ballroom behind Landon Winery in downtown Greenville, with wine, food, silent and live auctions and much more.
Tickets are available for $50 at HuntCountyPublicArt.com. Prices will be $55 the day of the event.
Derek Price, one of the founders of Hunt County Public Art, said it will be a fun challenge to raise enough funds to complete three big projects in one year.
“We’ll need all the help we can get,” Price said. “If you can donate items or artwork for our auction, volunteer on our planning committee or become a sponsor of Hearts for the Arts, we’d love to talk with you.”
Some of the projects may require approval by the Greenville Main Street Advisory Board and the Commerce City Council before construction can begin. They will join three projects the group has already completed in the past 24 months: Spectrum by Cathy Smithey; High Cotton by Pamela Edwards; and Zvanut’s Eternal Carousel.
“We’re thrilled to have so many talented local artists submit project ideas this year, and we can’t wait to see these three projects come to fruition,” said Kim Cartier, executive director of Keep Greenville Beautiful. “It’s going to make a major difference for Greenville and Commerce.”
“This will be our third year of raising money for public art, and we’re optimistic that we can raise the bar yet again to fund more projects than ever before,” said Byron Taylor, the president of Keep Greenville Beautiful. “These three new pieces will continue to transform Hunt County into a more colorful, vibrant place to live and work.”
For more information, visit HuntCountyPublicArt.com, or contact Taylor at 903-456-5518.

Hunt County Public Art is seeking ideas for our next big project — or maybe several projects — to be completed in 2015.

If you’re a Hunt County artist with an idea for a public art project that could make this area a more vibrant place to live, we want to hear from you. You can show us your idea and apply for funding by filling out this application. Whether you have an idea for a mural, a sculpture or any other kind of public art installation that you could create, we want to hear it.

The Process

1. Fill out the application form.
2. Turn in the application, along with any related renderings or drawings of your proposal, by:
— Scanning and e-mailing to carcolumn@gmail.com.
— Bringing it in person to Marianne Eubanks at the Greenville Chamber of Commerce office.
— Mailing it to the Greenville Chamber of Commerce, P.O. Box 1275, Greenville, TX 75403.
3. Finalists will be notified and invited to present their proposal to our Project Selection Committee in October.

The Timeline

October 2014: Finalists selected and presentations made to Project Selection Committee.
November 2014: Winning project(s) named and announced.
December 2014 – February 2015: Winning artist will help with fundraising and P.R.
February 2015: Hearts for the Arts Gala will be held to raise funds for project(s).
End of 2015: Project expected to be completely finished and installed.

The Criteria

The Project Selection Committee will consider the following criteria when choosing a project to fund:
1. Overall visual and artistic impact to Hunt County.
2. Eliminating blight and urban decay from its chosen location.
3. Artist’s track record and experience in completing artwork of a similar scope.
4. Legwork that shows this project has a realistic chance of being completed in a professional, first-class way.
5. Support from stakeholders, including neighbors, community groups and property owners.
6. Financial viability and efficient use of funding.