PRESS CONTACT:
Margot Berg, Public Art Director
215.686.4596
margot.berg@phila.gov

Artist Selected for Fire Station Engine 38 Percent for Art Commission

October 6, 2011

PHILADELPHIA – The Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy’s Public Art Program is pleased to announce the artist selected for the Engine 38 Percent for Art competition.  Internationally-renowned artist Suikang Zhao has been selected to create an outdoor site specific installation for the site. The new fire station, to be located within Disston Park in the Tacony neighborhood, is a state-of-the-art LEED certified facility and will serve the community as both a fire station and a community center.

A regional open call for artists was announced for this Percent for Art opportunity in December 2010.  An independent jury, as well as members of the fire department and Tacony community, recommended Zhao’s proposal for the new site.

Zhao will create an outdoor installation composed of a series of objects and bronze relief plaques that reference local history and are fully integrated into the site.  Zhao has engaged the community and Fire Department to inform the content of the work. The project intent is to bring artwork to the community and to serve as a teaching tool about the history of the fire department and of the Tacony neighborhood.  The artist was selected based on his artistic integrity, community involvement, and the appropriateness of the subject matter to the site.  Zhao is a highly acclaimed public artist whose work can be found in many cities and collections around the globe.  Engine 38 installation is projected for fall of 2012.

proposal image

About the Public Art Program:
The City of Philadelphia’s Public Art Program operates under the Office of Arts Culture and the Creative Economy and includes the Percent for Art, Conservation, and Collection Management Programs. For additional information on Percent for Art commissions contact Margot Berg, Director, Public Art Program or Theresa Rose, Project Manager, or visit www.phila.gov/publicart