While walking in downtown Fort Lauderdale recently, I was checking out the flowery panels of kaleidoscopic images hanging along the fence just east of Andrews Avenue on the south side of Las Olas Boulevard. There are 50 images, all done by the same artist, Joseph Scott. Curious, I tracked him down.
As it turns out the project, installed just before Christmas, has been in the works for almost a year and is part of the Downtown Development Authority’s new “onions-to-orchids concept” titled Urban Oasis.
As the DDA states on it’s Web site, “There are currently pieces of property in our core downtown that sit empty and serve as no more than an eyesore, given the state of the economy. The Urban Oasis program seeks to activate and beautify these spaces.”
Their plan is to partner with the City of Fort Lauderdale and property owners to move fences back about 10 feet and visually enhance such spaces with local art and greenery.
The fence along Las Olas Boulevard is the first such project. According to Scott, it surrounds a privately-owned property held for future development, and the project was funded by Simmons Vedder Partners, the property owners, and Las Olas Riverhouse, which currently uses the lot for valet parking.
Scott says that his being selected for the project was serendipitous.
“About two years back, I started manipulating photo files of old artwork on the computer, a new digital medium for me,” explains the long-time painter. “I liked to mirror the images and fold them into each other and started to find new patterns in the old art. My image catalog exploded and I quickly discovered anything photographed had the potential to be exploited in a kaleidoscopic format. Ordinary photos of plants in my garden and the natural plant life around town could be reinvented into a visual pattern language. The applications seemed endless and I wanted to share them. I applied the images to mugs, boxes and books to give to friends … One friend who received a book is a landscape architect, who thought they would apply to exterior spaces. They were aware that Fort Lauderdale’s DDA was in the process of an urban plan to beautify the surround of a temporary gravel parking lot on Las Olas Boulevard. The DDA, in turn, saw the book and met with me.”
As a result, there’s now a giant exhibit of Joseph Scott’s work around the perimeter of half a city block in downtown Fort Lauderdale. Since the artwork was a donation, he’s hoping the project will be good for exposure.
The DDA suggests artists who need community service hours or want to learn more about this program contact Chadwick Blue by calling 954-463-6574 or e-mailing Chadwick@ddaftl.org.
