I just read this story about a bronze status for Vince Gill being placed in Bricktown and it struck me that OKC might be missing a golden (or at least bronze) opportunity to do something unique. Instead of doing the 9 foot statues and putting them on pedestals, why not make them life size and arrange them around downtown in poses that represent real life - like simply walking down the street, tying your shoe, talking on a cell phone, hailing a cab, sitting on a park bench, leaning against a pole, etc... Something that people could connect with and get their picture taken interacting with. Heck, a local famous musician might want to be portrayed as a street performer.

Could you image dozens, if not a hundred, or these scattered around downtown OKC and the surrounding neighborhoods.

Bronze sculpture of Vince Gill proposed for Bricktown | News OK (http://newsok.com/bronze-sculpture-of-vince-gill-proposed-for-bricktown/article/3862928)

While I was in Wichita not long ago, they had something similar.

Downtown Wichita (May 6 2013) - a set on Flickr (http://www.flickr.com/photos/williamhider/sets/72157633446289249/)

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7338/8724578733_8cd0eb3553_b.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7293/8724613161_94cfdeab55_b.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7433/8725731716_21f3b736e9_b.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7313/8724609963_a8992033ba_b.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7316/8725727760_c6eaa10e73_b.jpg

I would totally walk right into one of those things.

Edmond has that, as does Portland, OR. I think it's a great idea!

I would much rather see a statue posed in a natural way that people could react to or take a picture with than some classic statue pose on a pedestal. Look at the Wall Street bull in NYC. It is a tourist attraction because people can get right up to it and pose with it. A statue on a pedestal is boring, Bricktown needs to be fun.

Wichita totally stole my idea before I even thought of it. :)

BTW - those are very cool. Does anyone know if the ones in Wichita have any local significance (i.e. celebrities from the Wichita area) or are they just works of art?

I like the idea, but Vince Gill, no thank you.

I like the idea, but Vince Gill, no thank you.


Vince Gill is fine with me but you don't have to look at it if you don't want to. LOL

Vince Gill is fine with me but you don't have to look at it if you don't want to. LOL

Only if you assist my blind ass across the street...L O L !

On a semi-related note...

OKC just received a $50k federal grant for public art development. Here's a post from the Allied Arts facebook:



The National Endowment for the Arts announced its 2013 Our Town Grant Award recipients today.
The Cultural Development Corporation of Central Oklahoma will receive a $50,000 award to hire a
consultant to develop a comprehensive public art master plan to implement and leverage the city's
One Percent for Art Ordinance.

The ordinance, passed in 2009, requires that one percent of any new construction budget
commissioned by the city be allocated to public art.

A public art master plan will provide procedural guidance and policy recommendations for reviewing and
commissioning public art in Oklahoma City. Goals for the plan include finding ways to improve the artist
selection process, maximize artistic quality, and engage the broader arts community in planning for
public art. Congratulations to OKC and the Cultural Development Corporation!


Source: https://www.facebook.com/alliedartsokc/posts/10151730988609320

Did not know about that one percent thingy. Interesting.