Serving Boone, Blowing Rock, Banner Elk, and other towns of the North Carolina High Country | Founded 05-05-05

|| High Country Press Newswire

LATEST REGIONAL HEADLINES:

View All Ads For This Week »

JANUARY 21, 2010 ISSUE

Dedicated to Public Art

DBDA Public Art Committee Celebrates Donation of Wayne Trapp Sculpture

Pictured from left to right are DBDA Assistant Director Mary Baker, Public Art Committee member Sam Calhoun, Public Art Committee member Ellen Gwin, artist Davis Whitfield, artist Devon Trapp, Trapp, Clawson and Watauga Arts Council Executive Director and Public Art Committee member Cherry Johnson.

Wayne Trapp

Members of the Downtown Boone Development Association’s (DBDA) Public Art Committee, artists and Boone Mayor Loretta Clawson gathered in front of Watauga Public Library on Monday, January 18, to celebrate the installation of Skywalk, a powder-coated steel sculpture donated to the Town of Boone by well-known local artist Wayne Trapp.

“Public art is very important,” said Trapp during the celebration. “When people first come to Boone and pull up to park, they make an appraisal of the community. After they see public art they think ‘Wow, this community is culturally literate.’ That’s what public art does.”

Whitfield assisted Trapp in creating Skywalk, a process that took several months and included a trip to an over-sized powder-coat kiln in Asheboro. Skywalk weighs in at roughly one ton and was donated to the Town of Boone as a permanent installation.

“I’d like to see more public art,” said Trapp. “[DBDA Assistant Director] Mary [Baker] has been fantastic in finding places for public art and working with local government officials. That’s what it’s all about.”

The sculpture was gifted in honor of Joni and Peter Petscham.

“The Petschams have also always been very supportive—they supported local artists for 30 years—and I wanted to honor them with the sculpture as well,” added Trapp.

Trapp’s sculptures are on display in many public and private collections from New York to Miami, Fla., as well as across Europe, including in Germany, Spain and France. In addition to Skywalk, Trapp’s sculptures can also be found in Boone inside the Turchin Center on King Street and within the Turchin Center’s outdoor sculpture garden.