Arts Alliance pitches public art installation
Imagine yourself walking by Constitution Court on Madison Street in the winter. Though the fountain there flows in warmer months, in the winter when it’s turned off, there’s no ornamental focal point on the thoroughfare. But that could change with a new art installation.
The Forest Park Arts Alliance pitched a public art project to commissioners during a presentation at the Feb. 24 village council meeting. Bridget Lane, the Arts Alliance’s secretary, asked for a permit that would allow Forest Parker Ian Pfaff to create the group’s first public art installation at Constitution Court to be called Little Perspectives.
“We’re always looking for programming that will really enhance Forest Park as an arts living space, and also a place where you can always connect to the arts,” Lane said.
Little Perspectives would sit on top of the fountain while it’s off for winter. The installation will be a five-by-three-foot box and, depending on which of its viewing ports people look through, they’ll see a different scene of lit-up dioramas inside.
The Arts Alliance is hoping that Little Perspectives can get a permit by the spring wine walk down Madison Street.
“National experience suggests that art in a location so central to our vibrant commercial district will cause more visits that last longer,” Lane said. “We think that [Constitution Court] is such a great size for this kind of thing. Very few communities have something like that that’s so connected to their commercial area.”
If the seasonal Little Perspectives installation is a hit before the fountain turns on in late spring, the Arts Alliance hopes to continue installing pieces of public art at Constitution Court, or even throughout the rest of the village.
“That’s why we’re calling it a pilot. We expect to learn a great deal from [Pfaff],” Lane said. “We’re relying on him to tell us a lot about what works and doesn’t work.”
Pfaff has extensive artistic experience. He has worked as a professional artist in several mediums, as well as in the film industry, where he directs, edits and builds props for commercials and TV shows. The Pfaff family won the people’s choice award for the Arts Alliance’s 48-hour film festival its first year in 2023, and again in 2024. Their team Dead Last won creepiest casket at last year’s casket races.
For potential future art installations, the Arts Alliance envisions having a jury process to select artists and their designs. They also intend to apply for a grant that could help fund future projects.
Though the village council will need to vote at a future meeting about whether to give a permit for Little Perspectives, commissioners seemed to be on board with the project.
“I appreciate the breadth of his art,” Commissioner of Streets and Public Improvements Michelle Melin-Rogovin said of Pfaff at the last village council meeting. And though she said she had a hard time visualizing what exactly the installation would look like at first, she said she was comfortable with Pfaff taking artistic liberty.
“People did ask, ‘Could you draw a picture of this?’” Lane said. “I’d almost rather give him the freedom.”
“I’m familiar with the artist’s work in other capacities,” said Commissioner of Accounts and Finance Maria Maxham. “I really like him. I think he’s got some great ideas. He’s funky and cool.”
“I love that you guys are thinking of new and different and interesting things,” said Commissioner of Public Property Jessica Voogd. She added that she appreciates the Arts Alliance’s collaboration with the village on installations at Constitution Court, like the group’s recently introduced Fiber Flash. “You’ve been a really great partner while we’ve explored something that’s not been done before, and we don’t know what it’s necessarily going to look like.”
Lane told the Review that, with the public interest that the Arts Alliance received after its first Fiber Flash at Constitution Court in 2023, the group wondered how else to use that space.
Lane said that Arts Alliance participants previously met with Director of the Forest Park Public Works Department Sal Stella and Village Administrator Rachell Entler at Constitution Court to discuss requirements and logistics about where Little Perspectives would be installed.
Commissioner of Public Health and Safety Ryan Nero also said he liked the idea: “Full support. I think it’s great for the village of Forest Park.”
