New public Art in Traders Alley: Sail Fence unveiled by ART26201 on Saturday

Attendees at the unveiling check out the latest ART26201 Art in Public Places installation, the *Sail Fence* designed by Bryson VanNostrand at Traders Alley.

Bryson VanNostrand & kb saine of ART26201 present Mayor McCauley with a commemorative print of the Sail Fence as a birthday present; Saturday was McCauley’s birthday in addition to the date of the Sail Fence unveiling on Traders Alley. Mayor gave opening remarks at the event (below).

Fun was had by all during the unveiling event presented by ART26201 on Saturday at Traders Alley.

CITY OF BUCKHANNON

MAYOR’S REMARKS AT SAILS FENCE UNVEILING IN TRADER’S ALLEY

July 2, 2019

Welcome to our Next Big Thing- the unveiling of the Sails’ Wall, or as Bryson has dubbed it, the Sails’ Fence. I understand the sensitivities & controversies to that word “wall” these days so maybe “fence” is better. At the outset I want to thank the property owners up & down this 440’ feet long corridor that connects the coolest downtown in WV to the most perfect park in WV. This very space was made possible through our collaboration with John Moss & his family, & we all are very mindful that all of our successes are made possible through partnering with our residents & businesses. But we also want to thank the Chapman Technical Group, the Fosters & CrossFit Gym, Davis Health, CJ Martin, Robie Messenger, & the Newman heirs. Everyone has given something to make our Trader’s Alley project possible, to bring it to fruition.

We have some amazing talent that helps bring these things together for us. Jerry Arnold, Brad Hawkins, our entire Streets & Parks crew- Charlie Riffle, Melvin Smith, Mark Cogar, Mark Woody, Travis Carpenter, Fred Langbein, Andrew Loudin, & others have labored for many hours in this alley to get us to where we are today. How ‘bout a nice hand for the guys who’ve toiled to create this special place. I’m just the hype guy, the “post the pictures on Facebook guy,” because as Bryson knows best, I “just can’t contain my enthusiasm.” I was thinking about peddling tee-shirts to raise $ for the Colonial Theatre project that might say “The Next Big Thing, Buckhannon, WV.” But a better tee-shirt would be simply “BRRRR!” That “BR” thing stands simply for two words “the Brilliance of Bryson.” Seriously, when you think about the design of Jawbone Park, the vision for our Colonial Theatre, this very corridor of Trader’s Alley, the creation of ART26201- it’s all his imagination that’s gotten us to where we are so far. We all owe him a debt of gratitude. Thank you Bryson for being our spark! The notion of an “arts district” is largely his, the rest of us are simply a supporting cast, his disciples, but an enthusiastic bunch of disciples we are!

In the weeks & months ahead, much more public art will be unveiled- the Charley Harper murals, installation of the Men in Black car in tribute to Gray Barker, the completion of the first phases of your Colonial Theatre, another benefit variety show in July, Dracula in October, & a still hopeful appearance by Jimmy Pankow of the HOF rock band, Chicago. Jimmy says he’s coming, so we’ll see! If you see Robbie Barbor, be sure to thank him for his artistic contributions via our amazing flower program downtown & around town, too.

In closing, we all should be mindful that these things don’t just happen by themselves. They take time & money. My mom sent me a hundred bucks for my birthday, so- I’d like to contribute $100 in honor of my mom, Patricia McCauley, to ART26201 for our next big thing. Bryson? Please support your public arts with your dollars & enthusiasm. Thanks to you all for being here, this place is for us all of us to enjoy & be inspired by- thanks again, you rock Buckhannon!

Mayor David McCauley