Taking It to the Streets

Or to the parking decks anyway. Tangible results of Norfolk’s "Percent for Art" program, aimed at enriching the city’s landscape with public art installations, are starting to come to light.

Local artist Diane Husson was one of three chosen to participate in a project commissioned by the Norfolk Bureau of Cultural Affairs in which artists collaborated with high school students on the creation and installation of artwork at three downtown parking garages.

Last Thursday, Husson was sitting cross-legged, her hands chalked with grout in the afternoon sun. After a week’s work (not including a whole summer of prep), she was in the final stages of installing her three 4-by-6 foot brightly colored, nautical-themed tile murals above the pedestrian entrance to the garage on the corner of Bousch Street and City Hall Avenue, cattycorner to the Battleship Wisconsin.

"What I like is that it’s art work that everybody can enjoy," Husson said.

The other two artists who participated are Larry Bage, who created "vintage" signs for the Main Street garage, and Cassandra Akers who stenciled fortunes and quotes above the parking spaces in the Freemason Street garage.

Other metropolitan areas across the country have enjoyed success with similar public art programs. We can’t quite yet compete with the New York City Waterfalls, but it’s a good start.