They twist. They spin. They twirl. And they do it all in a hundred colors powered by the wind. A new two-acre public park in downtown Wilson, NC, will be dedicated to the permanent conservation and enjoyment of 32 large-scale whirligigs created by noted artist Vollis Simpson. In May, Assistant Professor Kofi Boone, ASLA, joined Janet Kagan of the Percent for Arts Collaborative, Dan Gottlieb of the North Carolina Museum of Art, and Paul Morris, FASLA, of Greenleaf Strategies to lead Wilson stakeholders, officials, and artists in a two-day design workshop to develop a park design concept.
Simpson, who is in his early 90s, is a Wilson native with work in permanent collections around the world including the Visionary Art Museum of Baltimore. The creation and development of the park will transform Wilson’s downtown and contribute to its revitalization efforts as well as anchor the development of an arts district, says Boone. The park—scheduled for completion in late 2012—is expected to be a major destination for cultural travelers and a unique gathering place and public green space for Wilson County.
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