Corning's Nasser Civic Center will be transformed into a Public Art Park. What to know

Work will soon be underway to develop a Public Art Park at the Joseph J. Nasser Civic Center, reimagining the space in downtown Corning.

Jennifer Miller, Corning City Planning & Economic Development Director, said the city received a $30,000 match grant from the Appalachian Regional Commission to develop concepts to create a Public Art Park at the site, located near Corning City Hall and the Southeast Steuben County Library.

“That work will likely begin sometime in the spring,” Miller said. “It will determine what a Public Art Park would potentially look like at the Civic Center.”

The Corning City Council recently passed a long-range Public Art Strategy for the community and the Nasser Civic Center project is the first work done under that plan, Miller said. The idea of an Art Park in the plaza was a recommendation in the 2021 City Parks Strategy.

Miller said during the spring, the city will select a design consultant to work with the Public Arts Committee, stakeholders and the community on the Civic Center project.

The need for a Public Art Strategy in Corning

Corning City Manager Mark Ryckman said the history of the Corning community has featured a strong arts presence.

“Public art can be as simple as something that can be seen in one of our parks, an elaborate sculpture, lighting up a bridge or a mural on the side of a building,” Ryckman said. “It does run the gamut. A wide spectrum. The city has had a long history of supporting public art from a staff perspective.”

Ryckman said in recent years more and more people have approached the city wanting to install public art.

“But we don’t have any direction from the council,” Ryckman said. “So, the staff is often left without the ability to answer people’s questions in what’s acceptable and what's not.”

Ryckman said the recently-approved Public Art Strategy provides certainty and direction to city staff, stakeholders in the community, and artists as to what are the acceptable community standards.

Connie Sullivan-Blum, executive director of the ARTS Council of the Southern Finger Lakes, said she worked on the city’s Public Art Committee for a little more than two years and is proud of the results.

“I feel like this strategy is really in the best interest of the city,” Sullivan-Blum said. “In terms of the best interest of the city, one of the things that drew me to the city of Corning over 20 years ago was public art. It drew me to the city, made me feel welcome.”

Steven Koob, recently retired chief conservator at the Corning Museum of Glass, has served on the city Art Committee for more than 10 years. He called the strategy a fabulous thing for the Corning community.

“I’m a conservator, so there is a lot of work that really should be done," said Koob.

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How to be good stewards of Corning's existing art?

Ryckman said one issue the City Council and the Public Art Committee need to talk about is how to be good stewards of existing art in Corning.

“So right now, when it comes to the Wall Street Sculpture, who is responsible for taking care of it?” Ryckman said. “What is the maintenance plan? How do we maintain the murals? At some point, do we retire some murals to make space for new murals?"

Ryckman said that is something that has not been done in Corning.

“We tend to put art up and then have an assumption that it's going to maintain itself,” Ryckman said. “And as you know, that is not the case.”

Part of the Public Art Strategy will be to talk about how to be stewards to art already in the community, as well as the new art that people would like to establish in Corning.

This article originally appeared on The Leader: Corning plans Public Art Park at Nasser Civic Center. What's next