Three artists have been selected to pitch public art proposals to members of the public on Sunday, Marth 6th, from 3-4:30pm at the St. Johnsbury Welcome Center in Depot Square. Community members are invited to come meet the artists and learn about their proposals to create new public art projects aiming to bring light and vibrancy to the passage connecting downtown St. Johnsbury to the riverfront. Light refreshments will be served.
Last year, Catamount Arts called to Vermont-affiliated artists to envision a public arts project that will engage community and animate downtown St. Johnsbury. Artists were invited to apply for monetary grants to create preliminary proposals to revitalize the passage from Railroad Street and Depot Square through the “honking tunnel” to the Three Rivers Bike Path trailhead on Bay Street, which leads to the Lamoille Valley Rail Trail.
Of the artist applicants, three finalists have been selected by a review committee of area curators, artists, and community activists: Tara Goreau of St. Johnsbury, Clay Morhman of Burlington, and Noa Younse of Richmond. Each finalist will present their proposal to the public on March 6th. One of them will be awarded a $10,000 grant to create and implement a final project proposal.
Finalist Tara Goreau is a large-scale artist whose vivid murals have inspired and reflected communities locally and abroad. Growing up in rural parts of New England, Tara learned to paint and draw from a young age, and completed one of her first murals at a local pool for her senior project at St. Johnsbury Academy in 2006. A graduate of the Design and Arts College of New Zealand in Christchurch in 2008, Goreau earned her BFA at Johnson State College with honors in 2011.
Finalist Clay Morhman founded sculptural lighting design firm Clay Mohr Lighting, combining wood and LED technology, in 2017. Connecting interior spaces with nature has always been an important theme in Mohrman’s work; he believes that lighting is essential to enjoy and interact with our environment. Using form, function and materials, his illuminated sculptures exist at the intersection of nature, emotion and the built environment, providing functionally satisfying pieces of sculptures in unison with nature.
Finalist Noa Younse earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Architecture from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, and his Master of Science in Advanced Architectural Design from Columbia. He has since taken an interest in applying his design background with computational techniques to visualize data and generate algorithmic art. He has worked on various full-scale digital installations and participated in several data workshops with an emphasis on using Processing to analyze and interpret datasets.
The service center of Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom, St. Johnsbury combines an energetic business district with a rich cultural life, year-round recreational opportunities, and beautiful historical buildings. Artists were invited to propose public arts projects ranging from outdoor murals, sculpture, creative signs, benches, bike racks, light and/or sound installations inspired by the history, culture, and scenic beauty of St. Johnsbury.
Catamount Arts encourages community members to come and participate in the public art proposal pitch by asking questions, getting to know the artists, and imagining a brighter, inviting, and more vibrant passage from downtown St. Jay to the riverfront.