A Conversation about Public Art

Interview held August 13, 2020

In the fall of 2019, Grounds4Art@HCC commissioned artist Cecilia Lueza to complete a mural on the Hillsborough Community Collge Dale Mabry Campus focusing on the theme of health and wellness. Community partners, such as the City of Tampa’s Arts & Cultural Affairs division, worked alongside a committee of HCC students, faculty, and staff to create a mural that would reflect upon the theme, taking into account feedback from the community, and to raise awareness of social issues such as food insecurity and mental and emotional health. The project resulted in a mural titled Exuberance that was completed in April 2020 on the exterior of the Social Sciences building. The artistic component was funded by a Community Arts Impact Grant through the Arts Council of Hillsborough County.

Amanda Poss is the Gallery Director of Gallery221@HCC Dale Mabry Campus and the Committee Chair for Grounds4Art@HCC. 

Amanda Poss: I wanted to start this conversation with the opportunity for each of you to introduce yourself to our readers.

Cecilia Lueza: I’m a public artist with a focus on sculpture, mural art, and mixed media installations.

Melissa Davies: I work for the City of Tampa in the division of Arts & Cultural Affairs. I’m now in my 16th year there, believe it or not, working solely on public art projects. I’m a Tampa native… and I’m also a board member of the Florida Association of Public Art Professionals.

AP: Thank you both for introducing yourselves! Cecilia, let’s start with you and talk about your work, which can be found all over the Tampa Bay region. You have developed this very cohesive, very recognizable style: bright, colorful, and bold—often full of geometric patterns and shapes found in nature. This is something that you also brought to the mural you completed earlier this year at Hillsborough Community College (HCC), which you titled Exuberance. Could you describe what led you to this particular approach to art making?

CL: Well, it’s interesting because before moving to the United States, I was a very monochromatic type of painter. But I have always had a love of lines and curves and geometric elements. Then I moved to the US and things started changing—gradually I started incorporating more color, experimenting more, and trying to find a balance between geometric elements and color. I think that Florida, with its natural beauty, the light and the vibrancy really influenced my style. As an artist, especially as an art student, I was always looking for inspiration somewhere… and then I finally realized that nature has the answers.

AP: You can definitely feel that reaction to the Floridian landscape in your work. I’m a transplant from the Midwest, and color is something I always very strongly identify with Florida, living down here next to the water, surrounded by the pastels of beach houses, vibrant tropical plants, and the wildlife… So I love that you went from monochrome to this explosion of color in your work.

CL: Yes, because before Tampa Bay I was living in Buenos Aires, and in big cities, like New York, almost everything is monochromatic, buildings are gray, people wear neutral colors—wherever you live, as an artist, that influences you, and can really alter your work.

Lueza’s mural titled Exuberance that was completed in April 2020 and is located on the exterior of the centrally located Social Sciences building on the HCC Dale Mabry campus in Tampa, FL. The project was partially funded by a Community Arts Impact Grant through the Arts Council of Hillsborough County.

AP: So, what specifically inspired your design for Exuberance at HCC?

CL: First of all, it was the meeting we had with the community and the students. In this meeting, they learned about my work and we showed them [my] other projects, and they expressed that the colors made them feel amazing, and it was an expression of feeling good in every sense of the word—physically, emotionally, spiritually, mentally. So that was the starting point for me, this concert of colors as a symbol of complete wellness.

In early 2020, Lueza participated in a comprehensive and interactive Community Dialogue discussion about health and wellness with HCC Dale Mabry Campus students, faculty, staff, the campus Public Arts Committee, and members of the Tampa Bay community. Photo: Courtesy of Gallery221@HCC.
 

AP: Yeah, that was the Community Dialogue event that we hosted back in January, which seems so long ago now… You’ve mentioned in other interviews that you really thrive on meeting people and working with people in different locations, hearing their thoughts and impressions. Was there anything that some of the students or the participants of that event said that led you to this idea of a holistic sense of wellness, a well-being of the spirit?

CL: At one point I was at a table with two or three girls and they were telling me about their expectations for this mural. They wanted to see something that made them happy, something to uplift their spirits, to inspire them and make them feel proud.

AP: I remember you sitting with those girls. During the event I was so impressed by the way you connected with the participants. For instance, you spoke Spanish with them and I think that allowed them to feel comfortable and build a rapport with you—they were in conversation with you for a long time.

CL: Yeah, they were funny and sweet, and many of the students spoke Spanish… so it was easy for me to really connect and understand what they were trying to tell me.

AP: I think they felt like you could really listen to them.

CL: Yes, I love to listen to other people’s stories… I usually prefer to listen to other people.

MD: I think those conversations are really important for a successful end product and installation [of art], because not only does the artist listen and convey that into some level into the design, but also, on the flip side, the people that are involved really take ownership of it, and take pride in the fact that they were part of the process. The cool thing about public art is that every single space is different, every single community is different, and every team is different.

AP: Absolutely. For us, working with community partners and listening to community feedback was especially significant given our project’s focus on health and wellness. I also think, broadly speaking, we’re seeing this intersection of public art and social issues more and more in recent years.

CL: People want to see something that’s not just beautiful, but also meaningful and conveys a message that speaks to them and expresses what they feel… they want to see that they are represented. I think it doesn’t have to be a very complex type of art for people to really connect with it and to find something that’s not only about beauty but also meaning.

Tes One, I AM PRICELESS, 2017. Initiated and funded by the Junior League of Tampa in collaboration with the City of Tampa’s Division of Arts and Cultural Affairs. Photo: Courtesy of Tes One.
 

MD: There’s so much going on right now, for instance… on the front page [of the news] with Black Lives Matter murals throughout the country. Artists leading social justice projects can be really impactful. For instance, the City of Tampa was approached by the Junior League of Tampa, who wanted to do a mural highlighting the issue of human trafficking, which is a huge problem in Hillsborough County… So we brought in a local artist named Tes One [for the project]… and he met with former victims, organizations that help the victims, the Tampa Police Department and then with the Junior League of Tampa. The end result was a very powerful mural featuring the words “I am not for sale, I am priceless.” Additionally, in the upper corner, the artist added the human trafficking hotline. The location of the mural was situated in an area that is right by the bus station… and between the location and raising awareness… if we just reached one person, you know? A spin-off of that project is that Tes One brought in another local artist, Jay Giroux, who took the theme “I am priceless” and installed posters at a lot of the bus stops throughout the city of Hillsborough County and the City of Tampa.

AP: So, Melissa, in your view, how have public art projects have grown, developed, or changed in our area from where they started to now?

MD: The City of Tampa’s public art program started in 1985. Back then, there were trends in public art like ‘plop art,’ purchasing or commissioning sculptures [for buildings]. In the 90’s there were more traditional public art installations at community centers. Over the last 20 years, under Robin Nigh’s direction, the program has grown through innovative programming that has been recognized by the Americans for the Arts public art network. We had a photographer laureate program, which really grew the public portable works collection, that also documented Tampa throughout a 10 year period, and we also saw technology change within those 10 years pretty rapidly. Lights on Tampa has been running since 2006 and is still going strong. Since Mayor Castor has been in office, we have a new program called Art on the Block, which seeks to get art and artists into neighborhoods. We have a wordsmith that is under contract—which is sort of like a poet laureate. We also have artists Sheila Cowley and Matt Cowley who are husband and wife team. They’re writers based in St. Pete—Cecilia, you may know them…

For the inaugural 2006 Lights on Tampa Paris-based artist and architect Jorge Orta created a projection on the University of Tampa’s Plant Hall, which transformed the iconic 1891 landmark and its surrounding environment for one night. Photo: Courtesy of the City of Tampa’s Art Programs Division.

CL: Yeah, I know them.

MD: He’s a Foley artist and sound engineer and she’s a writer… they’re working with Paul Wilborn and bringing in a team of actors, lyric authors, and literary artists to compile a sensory experience at Centennial Park… Public art can just come in different types of forms: it can be sculpture, sound, all sorts of different elements. Of course, we are still doing many traditional public art installations, but our primary goal is that it makes sense to the community and has context to the site. 

AP: Cecilia, how about you? As someone who’s completed numerous artworks in the public realm for many years, what changes have you observed in the attitudes and culture surrounding public art?

CL: What I’m noticing is that people have more knowledge about public art now, I’m seeing public art agencies and committees doing a lot of research, talking with different artists, connecting with their communities and looking at collections in other cities, incorporating more community-based projects to their collections. So, I’m seeing a great, very positive, change.

AP: This is a conversation that parallels public art on a national scale with community-driven projects and programming. The idea of awareness is particularly important and transformative to how we approach public art, creating not just something that’s done to a community, but by, for, and with a community…  So related to that point, I wanted to ask: what motivates and inspires both of you to continue working in the realm of public art?

Lueza participated in the City of Tampa’s 2020 Art on the Block Mural Day. Located in West Tampa at the intersection of Habana Avenue & West Tampa Bay Boulevard, volunteers were provided by the Our Aim Foundation. Photo: Courtesy of the City of Tampa Art Programs Division.

 

CL: For me, public art is a way to communicate with others. I was very shy as a kid growing up, and I realized that art was both a way to express myself and to connect with others. What I love about art and public art in general is the connections you create with the viewer, with people from all walks of life, especially during the process of bringing the artwork to life. There’s also the challenge of transforming a public space and making the space better than it was… to see this radical transformation. That’s why I want to keep doing it.

MD: I feel the same way. I like the connection to people, not only the community, but also each team, like I mentioned before. Each team is different, each site is different… it’s constantly changing. My primary role is as Project Coordinator, so digging into the details of the logistics is my thing, it’s exciting and fun. Sometimes it can be stressful, but you problem-solve and work with the team… I’ve worked with artists on design teams that have worked through challenges and have just completely transformed the space. I just love seeing the projects come about—being able to work and get to know our artists both locally and from around the world.  

AP: I completely agree. For me, managing a public art program wasn’t originally part of my job description when I started working at HCC, but… between community involvement and that moment of radical transformation, as you said, Cecilia, there’s just something magical about it every time it happens. The last question I want to ask is: what have each of you been working on since we completed the mural Exuberance at HCC? Are there any recently completed projects or events on the horizon that we should know about?

CL: Well, I’m working on two sculpture projects: one is for Jacksonville, Florida, and the other one is going to be installed in Tarpon Springs, Florida. Right now, I’m on my way to Kentucky to complete a mural project that’s been in the works for months and months due to coronavirus. 

New Tampa Community Center’s new 2020 installation. Photo: Courtesy of Matt May Photography.

Lights on Tampa rendering courtesy of Erwin Redl.

MD: We actually just finished an installation a couple of weeks ago with a local sports photographer, Matt May. Matt worked with the kids (gymnasts) and took action shots and created a window installation. The kids were thrilled to be a part of this, to see their images in the windows, and to be photographed by someone who shoots professional athletes… We’re also about to do a community project with local artist Ya La’Ford… Then, of course, there are a couple of Lights on Tampa installations. One is Erwin Redl who’s based in Ohio and New York—we actually worked with him in 2006 for Lights on Tampa—and he is under contract to do an installation underneath the Channelside Drive tunnel. We’ve also commissioned artist Andrea Polli, who is based out of Santa Fe, to do a sort of canopy of LED lights to emulate bioluminescence that’s going to be programmed and triggered by sensors. This will be on the Riverwalk under the Harbour Island Bridge. I think it will shine a light, if you will, and bring some positive energy that we need these days.

To learn more about HCC’s public art program, visit: Grounds4Art@HCC.
To learn more about Cecilia Lueza, visit her 
website.
Learn all about the City of Tampa’s public art program on their 
website.

A Mindful Mural

When this article was written, the Public Art Committee and I were full of enthusiasm and anticipation. Months of meetings, preparation, and planning were beginning to culminate in the realization of a new mural and in a series of community-driven programs that would accompany the mural’s unveiling. Students and volunteers from the community were gathered to assist with the fabrication. However, with the arrival of COVID-19 in March, it was no longer safe for communities to gather the way we were used to, and many plans were suspended. 
Despite all of this, creativity continued on. Cecilia Lueza safely worked alone to complete a vibrant mural, titled Exuberance, which exudes an uplifting message of well-being that feels all the more necessary in the midst of a pandemic. Once it is safe to gather together once again, we still plan on hosting events to celebrate the completion of Exuberance and to raise awareness of health and wellness resources for our community–and I, for one, am looking forward to that day!

Amanda Poss, Gallery Director, Gallery221@HCC Dale Mabry Campus

The 2019/2020 Grounds4Art@HCC
Health & Wellness Mural 

by Jeffrey Rubinstein

Students, faculty, staff, and visitors to Hillsborough Community College’s Dale Mabry campus must be noticing a much higher presence of art, murals, and especially, student involvement in the college’s public art projects. Recently, HCC has also increased its footprint for health, wellness, and food security programs. With the ever-growing awareness of the connection between food security and academic performance, members of the HCC Public Arts Committee, Feeding Tampa Bay, Bay Art Files, and The City of Tampa Arts and Cultural Affairs joined forces and began meeting last year to design and create a large, visually engaging mural on the exterior of the Social Sciences building of the busy, urban Dale Mabry Campus in Tampa. The mural will be a permanent reminder that each of us must proactively sustain our well-being through health and wellness.

Under the direction of Gallery Director Amanda Poss, Gallery 221@HCC received a grant from the Arts Council of Hillsborough County for the 2019-2020 mural project. The project was conceived by the Grounds4Art@HCC initiative, HCC’s public art program, formed in 2018. Two other community-centric exterior mural projects have been completed to date, with more in the works as additional funding and sponsorships become available.


Egyptian artist Aya Tarek’s large-scale mural was the second public art project to be completed on the HCC Dale Mabry Campus. Tarek, a prolific artist who has created murals in Cairo, Berlin, São Paolo, and Portland, worked on campus with HCC students and community members to fabricate the mural. Titled Painting Ourselves Visible, the mural project and related programming sought to celebrate and increase the visibility of Arab, Middle Eastern/North African (MENA) and Muslim communities in the Tampa area. Organized in conjunction with the community organization Art2Action, this project was made possible with the support of the Gobioff Foundation Treasure Tampa Grant and can be seen on the west side of the Humanities building (DHUM).

Poss explains and gives us insight into the process for such a large project involving so many various local entities: “Our newest Grounds4Art@HCC mural is envisioned as a creative placemaking project that sheds light on the theme of health and wellness. The mural will provide vibrancy and color to the heart of campus while at the same time highlighting the Social Sciences building as the home of our campus’ newly established food pantry.  It will be a large canvas for the artist to work on–over 65 feet in length spanning the upper section near the building’s southwest entrance.

Artist Cecilia Lueza at work on one of her numerous public art projects located throughout Florida and the southeastern United States.

The focus of this exciting project is health and wellness, will culminate in a dynamic and visually engaging mural by Cecilia Lueza, an Argentinian-American artist-based in Tampa Bay. The mural will be the final step in a long process that involves HCC students from its inception. In early 2020 on the HCC Dale Mabry Campus, the public arts committee, the artist, staff, faculty, students, and members of the Tampa Bay community engaged in a comprehensive and interactive discussion that allowed the artist to hear directly from students about how they think about health and wellness, and how this can be interpreted visually. The artist will ultimately, create the mural, but the image is based on feedback suggested by HCC students. Lueza described the feedback she received, “The majority of the students suggested the mural should inspire, connect, beautify, stimulate thought, have a sense of motion, and be geometric, bright, energetic, lively and represent mental health in a positive way.” Lueza presented three design options on February 14th and voting commenced until the 17th.

Based on the winning design, the mural will be an impressive composition of a fit and healthy young person, possibly a student, her head and eyes skyward, all in a palette of vibrant tones, at the prow of a flowing wave of energy that she creates. The image is provocative enough to allow viewers to contemplate the mural’s themes. Health and wellness are more than what we eat or how often we go to the gym. It is a mindset and lifestyle that includes our thoughts and attitude toward life and the energy we create and leave behind us.

Poss expands: “The majority of the mural’s fabrication took place in March and April and we are planning a free public unveiling party and related programming to occur in the Fall of 2020. Everyone who would like to participate in will be encouraged to attend, whether they are a part of the HCC community or a member of the Tampa Bay area community at large.”

To be officially dedicated and unveiled in the Fall of 2020, the mural Exhuberance will be on permanent display on the HCC Dale Mabry Campus in Tampa and will be a visual reminder to the entire community that health and wellness are part of a journey to be embraced that includes more than exercise and nutrition but exposure to the arts, as well.

About the author

Professor Jeffrey Rubinstein is the English Discipline Chair and the college-wide Tenure Committee Chair at Hillsborough Community College in Florida. Based on the Dale Mabry Campus in Tampa, he is a founding member of Grounds4Art@HCC.

About the artist

Argentine American artist and sculptor Cecilia Lueza, studied visual arts at the University of La Plata in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Today, she is well known for creating vibrant public art pieces in a range of mixed media. Since 2000 she has been working on a variety of public art projects in many cities throughout the United States. Her work has been exhibited at Art Miami, Arteamericas, and Scope Miami Beach, and in the last year she completed public art pieces in Washington DC, Jacksonville FL, West Palm Beach, and St Petersburg FL among others.

Additional reading

Maggie Duffy, Bright Spot and Art Reporter
Tampa Bay Times
April 28, 2020

What’s it like to paint a mural in isolation? This Tampa artist shares her experience Cecilia Lueza socially distanced on a lift for the project at Hillsborough Community College.

USF Public Art Walking Tour

In this month of March, celebrating Women in History, Sarah Howard, USF Curator of Public Art & Social Practice, will lead a free walking tour on Wednesday, March 27th of site-specific public art on the Univerity of South Florida campus in Tampa. The one-hour tour starts at artist Nancy Holt’s Solar Rotary at noon.

USF’s public art collection includes some significiant examples of works by major female artists. It is of particular interest to see how artists have applied their practice to site-specific commissions in the university environment. It is the sense that thoughts which should be of interest; relationships with place, environment and, indeed, with each other as a community, are explored and provoked is the remit of successful public art, especially so in a place of education.

Specifically, the women represented in this tour have added significantly to important gender equity issues over time. Women in History Month seeks to highlight and celebrate, indeed educate the public of such contributions. The nexus of important matters and public art within the university campus, irrespective whether they are accurately, in fact, purely a historical matter should be of great interest to us.

Alice Aycock, Maze, 2000. Photography courtesy of USF Public Art.


Per the USF Facebook event page, “The tour will feature site-specific works by renowned artists such as Alice Aycock, Lynda Benglis, Nancy Holt, Stacy Levy, and Janaina Tschäpe. Participants will have the opportunity to learn about the history of the program, and the artists and collaborators who created the public artworks. Tour will begin at Nancy Holt’s Solar Rotary, adjacent to the USF Communication & Information Sciences Building (CIS), weather permitting.”