Clearwater Poised to Showcase Public Art with Upcoming Dedication

CLEARWATER, FL — Clearwater residents who want to check out one of the city’s latest public art acquisitions will get their chance this Friday. A ceremony to dedicate “Accumulate” at Fire Station 45 is set to take place in the afternoon.

“Accumulate” is a chandelier-type piece of art that features fire hoses and blown glass spheres. The salute to fire-fighting history was installed early this year at the 1140 Court St. station. It was created by artist Aaron Stephan of Portland, Maine. Hundreds of glass spheres and multicolored fire hoses were used to create the piece, which represents the practice of drip-drying hoses after use. The piece and its installation cost about $107,000.

“Clearwater has been commissioning public art as part of an ordinance-driven program, which mandates that no less than one-percent of all eligible capital improvement projects is reserved for the creation and maintenance of on-site public art,” the city explained in an email. “Artists, like Stephan, are selected through a national call to artists and are required to research the project and site at which the final piece of art will reside.”

The dedication ceremony is set to take place from 3 to 4 p.m. Dec. 9 at the Court Street fire station. Once the ceremony is complete, visitors can also take a trolley tour that will feature stops to view other unique pieces of art around the city, including new artwork recently installed outside the main library.

Photo courtesy of the City of Clearwater