Two newly refurbished pieces of public art were unveiled in Ann Arbor this summer, but it may be the last the city will get to see while it waits for something much bigger.

The two pieces are the Arch (the main piece in Sculpture Park near Kerrytown) and another set to be unveiled at the Pittsfield branch of the Ann Arbor District Library on Thursday.

The Arch has graced Sculpture Park for years until the city decided to refurbish the public space last year. The sculpture was sent back to its artist who restored it and painted it black. It was reinstalled earlier this summer.

The second sculpture is a piece by prominent American artist David Lee Brown, standing for years in front of in what is now Google Adword's Ann Arbor offices. That piece was refurbished and donated to the library on 2359 Oak Valley Drive by Ann Arbor-based developer McKinley, which recently renovated the building.

The Ann Arbor Public Art Commission facilitated the transition to the entranceway of the library. The commission is now focusing on making sure Ann Arbor's "Percent for Art "ordinance gets off to a healthy start, beginning with the city's proposed City Hall expansion.

"We're going to concentrate all of our efforts on this project," says Margaret Parker, chair of the Ann Arbor Public Art Commission.

Last year the City Council passed the Percent for Art ordinance, which requires city projects to devote 1 percent of their budgets to creating public art. More than 400 communities nationally have passed similar ordinances.

"It's a great way for large and small communities to get public art," Parker says.

The commission will initiate its first public art project funded by Percent for Art funds this fall.

Source: Margaret Parker, chair of the Ann Arbor Public Art Commission
Writer: Jon Zemke