Christine Rojek’s proposal for Philadelphia’s Womrath Park

Public Art Sculpture in Womrath Park
With input from community members and a seasonal meal from Frankford’s own Birchtree Catering after much deliberation, our jury selected Christine Rojek to realize her design for a public sculpture in Womrath Park. The community expressed their desire for increased lighting, and we heard them loud and clear. We are allocating an additional $10,000 to light Christine’s sculpture.

Both Frankford Avenue and Frankford Creek inspired Christine’s ideas for the sculpture. She saw the avenue as allowing a steady stream of people to travel through the area, and the creek as creating a flow of energy and opportunity in the form of industry. Working from these images, Rojek designed a work of art that she hopes will become a clear icon for Frankford. Her proposal includes three elements: the Rushing Water Form with Waterwheel (Central Feature), the History Panel, and the Community Panel. These elements will serve as a “timeline of symbols” that will celebrate the evolution of the neighborhood and the flow of energy from nature to community.

Christine is currently revising her design for presentation to the Philadelphia Art Commission in April. Installation is planned for November 2014.

Neighborhood Signage
We had a great kick-off meeting with our signage design consultants, MERJE Design, at Globe Dye Works. A behind-the-scenes building tour inspired us to think about industrial design that can stand the test of time. Schematic design is now underway for signage that announces that you are in Frankford, and provides some useful information for the user. Check back here next month to see the designs.

Installation is planned for September, 2014.

Pop-Up Art Gallery
Programming for the gallery is complete. The gallery will feature three shows under the titles of “Reclaim,” Rediscover, and “Reanimate.” “Reclaim” will feature Dumpster Divers, a Philadelphia-based group that creates art from found objects. “Rediscover” will consist of eight photographers from across the city that feature urban landscapes in their work. “Reanimate” will feature works that bring life to previously overlooked places and things; Philadelphia Sculptors will curate it.

We are working through the final legal and financial hurdles to be able to open the pop-up gallery in mid-April with programming for 4 months.