Link Ahead with the City of Dublin, Ohio
Link Ahead with the City of Dublin, Ohio
Snails, River Boxes, and Iceland: the artistic journey of the Dublin Arts Council
The artistic heart of Dublin beats strongly through two remarkable conversations showcasing how creativity connects communities both locally and globally.
Dr. David Guion, retiring Executive Director of the Dublin Arts Council, reflects on transforming Dublin into a community with more than 70 public art installations ranging from large-scale commissioned works to interactive river boxes – artist-created vessels that combine geocaching with artistic treasure hunts. With a philosophy that "we do things with the community instead of for the community," David has fostered participatory experiences that encourage public dialogue with artists.
"Public art is controversial," he acknowledges candidly. "It comes down to whether someone likes or doesn't like something." This honesty about art's divisive nature hasn't deterred the Council but rather inspired them to create programming that fosters curiosity and creative exploration. From cultivating international relationships in Japan to developing Dublin's first Public Art Master Plan, David leaves a legacy of artistic growth that spans generations.
Writer Erin Boggs introduces us to "A Journey of Iceland - from Darkness to Light," an immersive exhibition at the Dublin Arts Council through April 25th. This multisensory experience combines Boggs' poetry with artwork by Icelandic artist Einar Orn and music by Kaktus Einarsson. The exhibition has gained impressive recognition, along with Erin's book appearing in Oscar nominee gift bags! Dublin residents can purchase signed copies at the Arts Council, complete with QR codes to download the music for a full immersive experience at home.
Whether exploring Dublin's river boxes with your family or experiencing Iceland through poetry and art, these creative endeavors remind us how art transcends cultural and geographic boundaries. Discover these artistic treasures and more by visiting in person or DublinArts.org today!
Hello and welcome to Link Ahead the City of Dublin podcast. I'm your host, lindsay Weisenhower, and Bruce Edwards is on a well-deserved vacation right now, but I am not alone. In fact, I have not one, but two guests today, and we are going to begin with someone who is really a living legend in our community, someone who has built something truly special for Dublin a thriving arts community that's known worldwide for its education, advocacy and genuine passion for arts and artists. Dublin Arts Council Executive Director, dr David Guillaume. Welcome to Link Ahead.
Speaker 2:Thanks, lindsay, it's really great to be here and thanks for the invitation.
Speaker 1:Absolutely Well. This is not goodbye, but sort of a bon voyage, because you are retiring this year after decades with us. Congratulations.
Speaker 2:Thank you very much, I appreciate it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and we'll certainly talk about your next adventure, but first of all, we really want to talk about your tenure here so broadly, let's give our listeners a little history. What did the Arts Council look like when you started here? So broadly, let's give our listeners a little history. What did the Arts Council look like when you started here?
Speaker 2:Well, I think the Arts Council was going strong. They had a great board and staff that were in place, and I think they were just lacking a leader who's collaborative and knowledgeable about nonprofit arts organizations and was really willing to listen. So I started regular meetings with the city. We started to build strong relationships with the community and that's how we started out.
Speaker 1:And how would you describe it now?
Speaker 2:Well, I think the board and the staff I have an amazing staff have really accomplished so much. We've really listened to the community and produced programming that's rich in content and powerful in engagement. So it's time for the baby boomers to step aside and welcome a new generation of arts leaders. So I'm really excited to see where the organization will go next.
Speaker 1:Well, what do you think a public arts council should be? What's your vision for Dublin?
Speaker 2:Well, I just want to give you some context. So there are approximately 4,500 local arts agencies across the country. So, Central Ohio, there's the Greater Columbus Arts Council, the McConnell Arts Center in Worthington. In Cincinnati there's ArtsWave. In Dayton there's CultureWorks and Dublin Arts Council, and all of these local arts agencies serve the community and they re-grant funds and some do programming such as public art and curate exhibitions and produce and present performing arts. But the emphasis is always serving the community.
Speaker 1:So in our community today we have more than 70 permanent, temporary and interactive public art projects. Give our listeners a range of what those projects entail.
Speaker 2:Well, there are large-scale commission works of public art, for instance Field of Corn Boat in the Field Featherpoint, and these works take about two years to realize after city council chooses a location. So information is gathered about the site, resulting in a national call for artists gathering, a selection committee choosing finalists and after a community presentation, an artist is selected. So Dublin Arts Council holds a dedication acknowledging the work of the artists and collaborators. We also have really small scale pieces that are temporary. These are called river boxes and we say this is where geocaching and letterboxing meet public art. So river boxes are unique, artists created vessels that combine map reading or GPS skills and artistic pursuit with delightful treasure hunts in scenic places. So river boxes contain a unique artist-made stamp, a journal and historical and environmental information for visitors to discover in Dublin parks, along the banks or connected to the Scioto River and its tributaries.
Speaker 1:I'm so glad you brought up the river boxes, because everyone loves those. Anyone who has kids. It's a lot of fun for them to go on a little scavenger hunt throughout the community. So people come to Dublin Arts Council to get involved. Or how do you do the Riverbox Trail if you haven't done one yet?
Speaker 2:Well, the Riverbox Trail is really passport based. So you download a passport or pick one up at Visit Dublin Ohio and so you pick up the passport and go to each location, stamp your passport and stamp the passport in the book and you're on your way and you get a geocoin, a prize at the end of the passport challenge.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and they're really beautiful. They're little works of arts themselves.
Speaker 2:Absolutely, absolutely.
Speaker 1:So what is your favorite public art piece?
Speaker 2:Well, this is a really hard question.
Speaker 1:I figured you always give me hard questions.
Speaker 2:I went through this list and I said, wow, okay, so I have three pieces in the collection. There are three fantastical and playful benches by Danish artists yet behind, and the benches are located now in Tuller Flats Park, so they're bright, white and they're situated along three utilitarian park benches to demonstrate a stark contrast. So the humor lies in the way the sculptures present unlikely or almost impossible seating options. So one of the benches appears as if it's melted, another looks as if the bench is stretching until it lands upside down. And really you really have to simply visit to fully grasp the humor, and I encourage you and your listeners to visit our website, dublinartsorg, for photos and more detailed description. But I really encourage you to go out and see the public art.
Speaker 1:Absolutely Okay. So, out of all of those art pieces, which one was maybe the hardest sell, so to speak?
Speaker 2:Yeah, so I would say, in a sense, a majority of our public art collection was hard to sell. You know, public art, because of its placement in the public realm, is ripe for praise and criticism. Public art is controversial. It comes down to whether someone likes or doesn't like something. So that's a challenge. So different interpretations, different opinions are where we find ourselves. We try to give the artist a voice, we entertain questions and we value feedback, and our goal is really to help people better understand a piece of public art. You know, artists have a unique way of viewing the world, and their process, their artistic practice and the resulting artwork begs for further exploration. So we like to think that public art should feed curiosity wow, and that's so funny and so true.
Speaker 1:And some of the pieces that are maybe controversial in the beginning are some of the most beloved pieces now. People really love them. The community is rallied around them, you're absolutely right. Well, you have said public art is a participatory experience for the community. What do you mean by that?
Speaker 2:Well, at Dublin Arts Council, we have a motto we do things with the community instead of for the community, and so we're always listening to the public, you know. Two concrete examples are when we bring public artists into town for their presentations, or we reintroduce public artworks and ask the public to attend. We provide opportunities for the audience to ask questions and enter into dialogue. We like to offer touch points where we can learn from each other and the artists.
Speaker 1:And that's really the Dublin way.
Speaker 2:Yes, absolutely.
Speaker 1:The city or the schools, the Arts Council? That is really the Dublin way. Well, to commemorate the 30th anniversary of Dublin's Art in Public Places, you led the creation of Dublin's first public art master plan that was adopted by city council in 2021.
Speaker 2:Describe that plan for us Well it's actually a roadmap of sorts to guide the process of realizing public art. It helps guide decision making regarding the selection, placement, funding and really the eventual maintenance of public art. So, as I said before, public art is not easy, it is controversial, and so, with this comprehensive plan, we break down some of these barriers and put forth policies and procedures to maintain and build upon a solid art collection.
Speaker 1:Can you talk a little bit about how public art brings so many entities together, from residents and businesses, with the overarching goal of improving beauty, cultural tourism and really the overall quality of life?
Speaker 2:Yeah, so we work closely with the city's parks department in order to enhance, you know, some of the city's 1,000 plus acres of parkland Crazy, of parkland Crazy. We work with Visit Dublin Ohio to provide activities for cultural tourists and we work closely with Dublin City Schools to offer programs like a public art incubator, where students learn firsthand the complexity of developing their own public art projects.
Speaker 1:Plus, art inspires and creates that next generation of artists right.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's right. So we're providing an opportunity for students to create their own public art. The students work side by side with art education professionals and public artists to better understand the public art process from start to finish.
Speaker 1:Speaking of artists, what was your through line or philosophy in developing relationships with artists, whether they be from here or other continents across the globe?
Speaker 2:Well, my philosophy is to provide a space for artists to fully explore their creative sensibilities, you know, hold a space for success and failure and genuinely respect their creative process and vision. My process is to try, fail, learn and repeat.
Speaker 1:What does failure look like?
Speaker 2:Well, failure can actually be a success in art.
Speaker 1:So yeah, wow, I could have been an artist then maybe. So, on that note, dublin has two friendship cities, including Mashiko, japan, and I know you have worked to ensure that art is part of those exchange programs. Can you talk a little bit about that?
Speaker 2:So sure. We've had a longstanding relationship with Masayuki Miyajima, who lives outside of Mashiko. He's fondly referred to as Masa and he's exhibited at the Arts Council seven times and this year will be his eighth showing, so we really helped the city and Dublin Arts Council strengthen the relationship with world-renowned Mashiko artist Ikuzu Fujiwara, and a number of Fujiwara's works have been acquired and are now in the permanent collection, and I encourage you and your listeners to visit Dublin Arts Council and see the featured work of Masa on permanent display in the center and Fujiwara's sculptures that grace the grounds on permanent display in the center. And Fujiwara sculptures that grace the grounds.
Speaker 1:Well, this probably goes without saying, but during your tenure, dublin Arts Council has received numerous prestigious awards. You've received all kinds of accolades as well. A job like yours isn't about winning awards, but let's be honest, they help cultivate more interest, advocacy and greater impact, right?
Speaker 2:Yes, absolutely, and the Arts Council and I have been very fortunate to be highlighted on a national and international stage.
Speaker 1:Well, you have more than 35 years of experience in nonprofit art organizations and educational institutions, with significant contributions not just here in the Midwest but coast to coast, from New York to San Francisco area. What is it about art that connects people from vastly different cities and towns worldwide?
Speaker 2:That's a really good question. I think art has a unique way of transcending geographic and cultural barriers. It connects people from vastly different cities and towns like New York and San Francisco, and I think that a number of factors contribute to these connections. So it's namely the shared emotions and human experience basic human experience.
Speaker 1:Wow. Well, david, let's come back to what I mentioned at the beginning your upcoming retirement. In fact, that'll kick off our last segment here of rapid fire questions. Are you ready?
Speaker 2:I'm ready, let's do this All right.
Speaker 1:So what are you going to do on day one of your retirement?
Speaker 2:I'm going to wake up without an alarm.
Speaker 1:That's my goal every Saturday morning. What's your best or most passionate artistic talent Painting, drawing, sculpting.
Speaker 2:I paint, I'm an oil painter, I do landscapes.
Speaker 1:You've done fundraising seminars and workshops worldwide. Give us your top three or four places you've visited.
Speaker 2:New Zealand, scotland and Chile oh nice. Yeah, new Zealand, they're in order.
Speaker 1:Okay, I was going to say so which one would you revisit in retirement?
Speaker 2:I would get on a plane today to New Zealand if given the opportunity Today.
Speaker 1:Nice that's the reason I'm saving up my airline miles. Exactly, is there a great art city you haven't visited? That's on your list.
Speaker 2:You know I've been to Italy but I've never been to Florence. So you know I want to see the works of Michelangelo, botticelli and Caravaggio. And you know, not from a photograph in a book, caravaggio, and you know not from a photograph in a book.
Speaker 1:Finally, david, finish this line about your own career.
Speaker 2:I want my legacy at Dublin Arts Council to be Three larger-than-life giant orange snails made out of recycled plastic. No, no, no. Seriously, though, that's been a fun project, so I'd really like to think that I helped to create programming and art that allowed people to be curious and to embrace their own creativity and to give an artist a voice.
Speaker 1:Amazing and hey, don't undersell those snails when you're inspiring Halloween costumes.
Speaker 2:You know that you've done something special Unexpected outcomes.
Speaker 1:Right, well, david, thank you so much for joining Link Ahead and best of everything to you in retirement.
Speaker 2:Thank you so much, lindsay, I appreciate it.
Speaker 1:We now welcome our next guest to this episode, as we dive into the American debut of a specific exhibit at the Dublin Arts Council. It's called A Journey of Iceland from Darkness to Light. Its co-creator is Dublin-based writer, erin Boggs, and she joins me now. Erin, welcome to Link Ahead. Thank you for having me. Of course, this is a multifaceted sensory exhibition that you created with an Icelandic artist. Tell us about it.
Speaker 3:Yeah, so it's a collaboration with Icelandic artist Eno O and Icelandic musician Cactus Einarsson, and so it's an immersive art experience that incorporates my poetry with Einar's art and Cactus's music, and it's organized in four chapters, from darkness to light, so it goes from unseen to weather, to landscape, to culture.
Speaker 1:Let's bring that back to the beginning, because you had quite an opening celebration at Dublin Arts Council. Tell us about that, we did so.
Speaker 3:we opened on March 8th and we were told it was the largest opening that Dublin Arts Center can remember in recent history, which was fantastic in recent history. Which was fantastic. And I think what was also very unique about that opening was the fact that Anar and Cactus flew in from Iceland for that opening.
Speaker 1:Wow. And what sets this exhibit apart from others is its duality it offers audiences perspectives as a native and a newcomer. How so?
Speaker 3:From my perspective. I'm writing as a foreigner or an alien, somebody who's visiting Iceland for the first time, and that's captured through my poetry. And then what Anar is doing is he's responding with his art from the perspective of a local, with his art from the perspective of a local. So I'm essentially telling him what I think and what I'm observing and witnessing, and he's, you know, kind of that voice on my shoulder saying, ah, you're right, no, you're wrong, but mostly I'm right.
Speaker 1:So it's a conversation really through art. Absolutely Well, as someone who's never been to Iceland, the country itself seems to have this mystical energy and image. Was that what you felt when you were there?
Speaker 3:Instantly From the first car ride from the airport into Reykjavik, you have the North Atlantic Ocean, and then on the right, you have these ancient lava fields that are greeting you from the very get-go, and that definitely adds to the mystery.
Speaker 1:So tell us a little bit about your journey to being this type of artist.
Speaker 3:I've been writing poetry mostly since I was a teenager. That was just a natural progression for me for artistic expression and I'm a big reader and all of that, and so primarily I've always just written for myself. I'm not exactly comfortable in the spotlight and so I never really pursued getting published or anything. And so I never really pursued getting published or anything, and it wasn't until the idea for this project came to mind that this was bigger than me, and so I just kind of, you know, swallowed my pride and really it was important to share this with the world. I think what we've done is very unique.
Speaker 1:You also had a vision for this exhibition to reflect the broader narrative of how local artists can create meaningful cross-cultural connections. Is that missing in public art right now?
Speaker 3:I don't think there's a shortage of artists who are creating cross-cultural art. I think what's important is to have the arts community support that type of art, and so it's imperative for galleries to bring on those exhibitions, showcase those exhibitions, and it's also important for art investors or collectors to then invest in those pieces and buy them.
Speaker 1:A follow-up to that. When you engage artists that are continents apart, does that complicate the work to be done? Like, how long did it take this exhibition to come together?
Speaker 3:No, we worked very well together and we were in a lot of you know communication. I would send my poetry to Anar and then he would send art and we just got into this flow and one of my favorite aspects of our creative process was we got to a point where we were in the flow together and Anar started sending me art. That was a visual representation for poetry that I had not yet finished and sent him. Oh wow. So there are a few pieces like Drawing Down the Moon and Forecast that. Yeah, he was starting to draw before I sent him the poetry.
Speaker 1:All right, and this is at our Dublin Arts Council right now. Right, so you can check it out through April 25th. Yes, well, the Oscars happened recently and your book by the same name as the art exhibition, a Journey of Iceland from Darkness to Light, was actually in the Everyone Wins nominee gift bag that went to certain Oscar nominees on Hollywood's biggest night. How exciting is that.
Speaker 3:Yeah, that was a wonderful opportunity and a great opportunity for us to showcase the book to some of Hollywood's best and brightest.
Speaker 1:So how did you get this news?
Speaker 3:So it happened randomly through a conversation with my PR manager, Meredith, who happens to be longtime friends with the man who does the gift bags. That's his whole company.
Speaker 1:Wow. Well, I know our listeners want to have the same coffee table book as Kieran Calkin and Timothee Chalamet, so where can we get it?
Speaker 3:So currently we have signed copies of the book from assigned by all three of the artists. Those are available at the Dublin Arts Council. The book has the art and the poetry on a two-page spread and then there's a QR code to download the music so that you can listen and have the full, immersive experience while you're going through the book. Wow, incredible. And then for pieces of art that are not currently showing for the exhibition because gallery space, those pieces are available for sale right now on my website, erinboggsart.
Speaker 1:Okay, erin time for a few rapid fire questions to wrap us up. What is your favorite arts city?
Speaker 3:London Just the cultural diversity and it's not just the big galleries like Tate or Saatchi. I appreciate the smaller galleries like Wilsa, stop or Gallery 46.
Speaker 1:Similar to what I asked David earlier what's your best artistic talent? I paint with words Beautiful. Now let's flip it. What artistic talent do you wish you had more of?
Speaker 3:Besides commercial success, I would love to learn piano.
Speaker 1:What are two or three of your favorite artists, writers or creators?
Speaker 3:I'm a long-time fan of Jamie Hewlett, who's an artist. I discovered him in the mid-90s. He did a comic called Tank Girl and then on to Foo Action and then ultimately to. There's a band called Gorillaz that I think most Americans know. I love Gorillaz and he collaborated with Damon Albarn, who Circle Story is partially responsible for me going to Iceland in the first place. I originally booked the trip to go see a concert that he was performing at Harpa Concert Hall. Wow, and Einar ended up collaborating with Damon on that album and Einar opened that show. What inspires you to create Human connection? Well, human connection, I think, is the why I'm very inspired by nature.
Speaker 1:So what do you do when you're blocked?
Speaker 3:creatively Go to nature, a lot of walks, a lot of walking, and I'm happiest when I'm near water.
Speaker 1:Great stuff, erin, and thank you so much for joining us. Thank you very much for having me, and safe travels to wherever your artistry takes you. Thanks, and to our listeners, thank you as well for taking the time to connect with your city. Tune in next time as we continue to explore the many personalities and experiences that make Dublin a thriving place to live, work and grow.