A few months ago, New Castle County Executive Matt Meyer officially established the New Castle County Public Arts Commission. The commission was co-sponsored by Councilmembers Dee Durham and Valerie George.
“The Public Arts Commission will serve as an advisory body for the procurement and location of visual public art on County property,” the official press release said. “It will also play a significant role in shaping policies and strategies to integrate permanent and semi-permanent visual arts into County community spaces and development projects.”
Various arts professionals from throughout the county, from gallery owners to landscape architects, were selected for the committee.
“I couldn’t think of a more passionate group of individuals to compose New Castle County’s first Arts Commission,” Meyer said. “We are excited to get this group’s work underway to help us explore the possibilities of public art in New Castle County, and I’m looking forward to working closely with the commission.”
One of the individuals selected for the commission was Anna Wik, a licensed landscape architect in Delaware and Pennsylvania and associate professor within the university’s Department of Plant and Soil Sciences’ Bachelor of Landscape Architecture program.
“I was asked by Councilwoman George, since I’m a member of her district, to participate as a registered landscape architect,” Wik said. “The fact that they’ve incorporated the requirement to have a landscape architect on the commission is a very thoughtful inclusion.
“Often landscape is sort of thought of as this leftover or secondary thing. But having a landscape architect on a project from the beginning ensures that natural and human systems are considered as mutually beneficial to create sustainable and successful designed spaces.”
According to the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA), landscape architects are often tasked with creating safe and sustainable outdoor spaces for everyone. Landscape architecture combines science and art to create community spaces that can be used for various purposes.
In urban planning, landscape architecture is often described as the planning of the space between buildings to create usable and aesthetically pleasing outdoor spaces.
“As a landscape architect, I really believe that the space between buildings is the space that we all live in. It’s really important that art be incorporated into that,” Wik said.
The primary focus of the Public Arts Commision is managing the temporary and permanent art installations in both indoor and outdoor spaces throughout New Castle County. Another goal is to increase tourism in the county. According to the official press release, public art installations increase the amount of tourists who visit the county, thus bringing about economic growth and benefits.
In addition to economic benefits, the installations will foster increased creativity and artistic expression throughout the community.
“What I love about the commission is the fact that they are considering art as a vehicle to engage with the community and tell stories of places through different mediums,” Wik said.
As a member of the New Castle County Public Arts Commission, Wik hopes to be a voice for the importance of landscaping and its architecture. She also hopes to collaborate with important figures throughout the state to uplift other Delaware artists.
“We have a really exciting opportunity as the initially appointed board to define what public arts can be in New Castle County and leverage the shared vision of all appointed commissioners to see that through,” Wik said.