By JULIE CARLE
BG Independent News
The Bowling Green Arts Council invites residents and visitors to explore the city’s public art, which is visible on downtown buildings and hidden in parks or other less-traveled locations.
The organization created a self-guided Public Art Tour accessible via an online link at viewer.mapme.com/bg-public-art.
Approximately 20 locations with public art are pinpointed on a map. A photo, description of the public art and sometimes a link to a local article about the artwork are also included.
“Bowling Green has an abundance of public art, especially for a town of its size,” said Robin Gerrow, president of the Bowling Green Arts Council. Murals, sculptures and other installations are included on the public tour.
The featured pieces are ones the group is familiar with and which are mostly accessible at outdoor locations.
“There are a few places that have really, nice indoor murals, but we wanted it to be something that you didn’t have to rely on a business being open,” she said.
Many of the murals are on downtown buildings, making it easy for people to stroll through downtown to identify the mural locations.
Gerrow is pleased that there are other pieces that are a little bit away from downtown.
“One of my favorite pieces, and it’s not a mural, is a tree at Bowling Green City Park that includes a piece of glasswork done by mosaic artist Gail Christofferson,” Gerrow said. “It’s beautiful.”
Simpson Garden also has several pieces. “We hope people want to take a longer walk, through the historic part of downtown, in the residential area of Wooster, Simpson Garden Park or at Arlyn’s.”
“There may be other pieces tucked away that our group doesn’t know about,” she said. They welcome information about other public artwork. The website can accommodate up to 30 locations.
Gerrow said the arts council had been considering creating the art tour for a couple years, always with the idea to have it ready in time for the Black Swamp Arts Festival in September, “so all these visitors who come in can see other parts of town and the other artwork we are proud of. I’m excited that we pulled it off this year.”
Postcards are printed with a QR code to access the website. The cards are located in several Bowling Green businesses and will be available at the festival.
