The Alachua County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) will decide Tuesday between three art concepts for future display at its not-yet-completed fire rescue headquarters and emergency operations center off NE 8th Avenue.
The county purchased the old armory (1125 NE 8th Ave. Gainesville), and former Phalanx Defense Systems building, several years ago. It’s near Citizens Field and at the site of Reserve Park. Renovations remain underway on the inside, but the county commission is scheduled for a vote on how the outside will look.
The Arts Council of Alachua County narrowed down a final three artists and their concepts in April. The artists each got a $150 stipend, but the full project is estimated to cost the county $70,000.
The commissioners will meet at 11:30 a.m. at the county administration building (12 SE 1st St. Gainesville). You can join in person or through the county’s video options. The art submissions are the second item on the agenda.
Here’s a rundown of the three submissions.
A Lewis Arts LLC.
Calling the sculpture a “celebration of action,” this proposal included a firefighter helmet and hand gripping a fire axe. The photo below tells the tale.
Local details include the year Alachua County Fire Rescue was created and the word Alachua on the helmet. The sculpture would be placed on a one-foot concrete step.
The artist, Alisha Lewis, is out of Jacksonville.
Birdy Co. LLC.
This submission is a mural, and the artist, Mandi Caskey out of Ohio, envisions it above the main entrance and using deep jewel colors as the palette to let the figures emerge from a darker background.
“This piece centers on a close-range moment of response, capturing two firefighters moving together toward an active scene,” Caskey said in the submission. “Rather than depicting the aftermath, the composition focuses on the immediacy of action and the human presence within it.”
The piece also plans to use LED lighting elements for the actual fire. The lighting could shift over time and create an active element, the artist said.
Legacy Art Studio Inc.
This relief sculpture could attach to a wall or standalone on the building grounds. The artist, Nilda Comas in Fort Lauderdale, said the fireman will be done in bronze with the rest in an earthly terra cotta. The helmet will have the Alachua County Fire Rescue seal with its actual colors.
“My idea is to create an explosive half-relief, axe out front, body breaking the wall, but connecting directly with the public thru his expressive eyes,” the artist said.
