Local authorities in Raleigh have selected Jim Gallucci, a Greensboro, North Carolina artist, to create an art piece which will be installed at the new Southeast Raleigh Tennis Center.
Gallucci is already familiar with the area and its people, as he created a sculpture known as the ‘Light Towers’, which located in the city's downtown.
The Light Towers installation comprises four 55-foot towers which have been made of stainless steel and equipped with LED lights that can be changed to a number of different colors. There are 7,500 oak leaves on the towers, referencing Raleigh's nickname as the ‘City of Oaks’.
Public art is becoming more common throughout cities in the United States, as residents often appreciate the way it adds interest and a degree of softness to offset the concrete and steel that characterize most metropolitan downtown areas.
Although Raleigh's art authority, the Pubic Art and Design Board, has chosen Gallucci, no one knows what the new work will look like. The group decided to give the artist free rein, not only because the Light Towers are so well-executed, but because, according to chair of the board Rory Parnell, he has a history of creating aesthetically pleasing works that are integrated seamlessly into their surroundings.
Once the installation is complete, the city could consider working with brochure printers to devise a visitor's pamphlet providing details on the pieces of public art and where it is. A date for the unveiling is yet to be announced.
