Pier Public Art
Public Art Selected for St. Pete Pier™
On April 24, 2018, the Pier Public Art Committee selected public art for the St. Pete Pier™ with the following commissions awarded:
Nathan Mabry of California will create a coated steel, origami-inspired pelican that will greet visitors at the Entry Plaza of the new Pier.
“Myth (Red Pelican)” This design is inspired by the geometry of the new pier design and the symbol of the pelican (a symbol for kindness, generosity, friendship and love) as the emblem for St. Petersburg. Nathan found inspiration in the accessible and universal visual language of Origami, the art of folding paper. The notion of an abstract metal monument rooted in something as intimate, delicate and timeless as folded paper became his focus.
The “Myth (Red Pelican)” structure will be approximately 120” high, fabricated from thick aluminum plate metal with a satin single color painted finish.
The structure includes the three realistic pelicans atop the origami style pelican.
Xenobia Bailey of New York will create a crochet designed mosaic that will go on a wall adjacent to the Pelican parking lot.
“Morning Stars” As an artist, Xenobia primarily works in fiber arts, creating crocheted mandalas which consist of colorful concentric circles and repeating patterns. For projects such as the one she has proposed for St. Petersburg, she will crochet several mandalas with brightly colored fiber medium and will then work with her fabricators to scan the images and create the design digitally so it can be transferred and applied as a mosaic design to the surface. Her work on the St. Pete Pier™ will consist of colors as shown below, of these, a portion of the tiles will have an iridescent finish to allow them to sparkle like stars as the sun rises from the east and passes over the city.
Nick Ervinck of Belgium will create artwork at the Pier Head. Visit his website.
“Olnetopia” The sculpture will be created in bronze with a patina finish. inspired by macro photographic images of splashing water and thus sculpturally interprets the encounter between nature and technology.
As the viewer moves around the sculpture, he sees how everything becomes wider and narrower. The sculpture represents the dynamic power of life and provides a warm welcome to the St. Pete Pier™. The site provides space for reflection and innovation. It is a sculpture that is openly in dialogue with the environment (the sea), and asks for a new look every time.
The City of St. Petersburg began a process in 2016 to select artists for public art within the Pier District. Art will be funded through the city’s Percentage for Art ordinance and a total of $488,000 is allocated for these commissions. It is anticipated that these installations will be timed to coincide with the opening of the new St. Pete Pier™ District.