Morean Arts Center Proposes New Public Art Sculpture for Downtown St. Petersburg

ST. PETERSBURG - Imagine an iron or steel arbor 9 to 12 feet tall, adorned with a garden of 1,000 glass pieces, each hand-crafted by a local artist.

That is the vision for "Millie Fiore," a glass garden of 1,000 flowers, that the Morean Arts Center is proposing to develop and gift to the city of St. Petersburg.

Katee Tully, the center's executive director, outlined the proposal to the St. Petersburg City Council last week at its regular meeting. Creating the piece of public art work would be part of the center's $1 million capital campaign to complete its obligation for purchasing the Chihuly Collection, by acclaimed studio glass artist Dale Chihuly.

Under the plan, local artists would create 1,000 glass pieces for the structure. Donors would pay $1,000 per glass piece to raise $1 million.

The money raised would cover the amount needed to pay off the loan for purchasing the Chihuly collection and compensate local glass artists for creating the public art piece.

The giant arbor-like structure then would be gifted to the city, for the public to enjoy and appreciate.

The City Council welcomed the proposal and voted unanimously to support the plan. No decision has been made on where to locate the giant structure, though Tully suggested North Straub Park, across Beach Drive from the Chihuly Collection. The Center's goal is for the city to locate the art work near the waterfront in an area accessible to the public.

A permanent collection of Chihuly's works is housed at 400 Beach Drive in new space specifically designed to exhibit the artist's vivid glass sculptures. Visits to the Chihuly Collection have topped 70,000 since the Collection opened to the public in 2010.

Tully noted for the Council that the Collection has helped to boost the local economy, contributing an estimated $38 million.

Tully showed to the Council a rough sketch of the arbor-like public art structure but said that the design was in an early phase. The Center needed the Council's endorsement to move ahead with its idea. A timeline was not given for completing the work.

Tully noted that the creation of the proposed sculpture by local artists, and its donation to the city, meet the mission of the Morean Arts Center.

The center's stated mission is "to connect people with art through innovative, community-oriented art and art education and to contribute to the economic development of the region."