New Feature in 5 Points

[Dog Walker]

dougskiles on another thread:

The artwork just finished up a show in South Florida and needed a temporary home.  Robert and his wife are part of the 5 Points Merchant Association and are trying to bring more public art to the area.  He said it is temporary, but that we should expect to see more in the future.  I really hope that their efforts are supported by RAP and COJ.  We desparately need more of this kind of expression and commitment to public art in Jacksonville.

Read more about Robert here: http://www.theittybittysmithy.com/

We have an amazing array of fantastic artists here in Jacksonville that always have to have their shows in other cities.

[Jumpinjack]

I'm probably not as good an art critic as some on this thread but I kinda like it. Adds something to that Five Points quirkiness plus it's a local artist. Thumbs up.

[ghalti]

I kind of like but compared to San Marco's lions it makes 5 Points look even more second fiddle.

I wouldn't want anything like majestic lions in 5 Points.  It isn't San Marco and I don't think residents want it to be San Marco.
Keep the art a little different, a little raw. Just like the area.  We will make it our own.

I like the piece, but even if I didn't I would keep in mind that public art is desperately needed in Jacksonville.

[JeffreyS]

I kind of like but compared to San Marco's lions it makes 5 Points look even more second fiddle.

I wouldn't want anything like majestic lions in 5 Points.  It isn't San Marco and I don't think residents want it to be San Marco.
Keep the art a little different, a little raw. Just like the area.  We will make it our own.

I like the piece, but even if I didn't I would keep in mind that public art is desperately needed in Jacksonville.

I agree

[Jimmy]

I'm not art critic, but I wondered if it was a bike rack when I glimpsed it from my car.

[RiversideLoki]

Having been in the art scene in days gone by, I've seen tons of metal work and sculptors.

I really loved what Robert did with the rust. His art at RAM has always been my favorite. His copper work is second to none.. He's done some mindblowing stuff... He, McDermott, Larry Wilson, and Katie Bell all blow my mind on a routine basis. But I really just can't jive with this piece.

"Everyone's a critic", "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder", etc. I suppose.

[dougskiles]

This piece has accomplished, what in my opinion is most important about public art.  Got us talking, wondering, thinking... 

My favorite art always leaves a little something for us to imagine.  It is one thing to appreciate beauty, it is another to awaken a sense from within - whether it be in admiration or disdain, doesn't matter.

Great job, Robert.

Who's next?

[Kay]

That space was crying out for something.  I like it.

[mtraininjax]

That thing needs some lights on it. If its dark someone will run into it, then the city has a nice lawsuit. At least the lions in San Marco are well lit and protected. Did the city sign off on it? If not, I am sure Code Enforcement will have fun ticketing it.

[Charles Hunter]

How long before an "urban artist*" improves it with some spray paint.


* see, I didn't say "graffiti vandal" 

[Brian Siebenschuh]

I just hope they have a proper selection of Sherry as any proper tapas restaurant in Spain would have.  I've always wondered why 13 Gypsies doesn't.  Maybe Americans just don't know enough about sherries for there to be a market.

Dry sherries are wonderful accompaniment to the strong flavors and spices of the small plates of tapas, medium sherries are fantastic with deserts and the sweet sherries are great just by themselves.  All sherries ain't Harvey's Bristol Cream

I agree with you 100%, but sherry is a tough sell in this market.  We offer an amontillado and an Alameda cream at Orsay as a complement to the port / dessert wine selections, but they sell slowly, and open bottles don't last forever - especially fino / manzanilla.

That being said, if you're into dry sherry, we've always had a reasonably strong Madeira program, and just last week we brought in a couple old vintage bottles that we're offering by the glass - a 1950 Bual and a 1920 (!) Malvasia, both bottled in 2009.  Yeah, they're really crazy expensive (even with an extremely low markup) but they're unlike anything you've tasted.  Well, unless you've had really old Madeira before :-)

And the really cool thing about Madeira is that it's completely oxidized before it goes in the bottle, so - unlike Port or sherry, it doesn't really change once the bottle is open.  Chances are, if you order an expensive 30 or 40 year tawny at a restaurant, the bottle has been open for several months, and tawnies start to change noticeably after a week or two of being opened.  Madeira can sit open for, well, years and it won't fade.

#threadjack over#

[Dog Walker]

Thanks for the info, Brian.  I've had an old Madeira once or twice a long time ago and they are indeed unique and unforgettable.....and rare and expensive.

[avs]

I like it.  Kind of reminescent of a weather vane on top of a house.  With the title, "Manifest Destiny," makes me think about what direction our country is in, or some see as lack of direction.  Good piece, brings up issues and gets dialogue going...

[ChriswUfGator]

I like it, it's visually pleasing, isn't that the point?

I do agree that being black, someone it going to walk or ride into it at night. They should make a cement base for it.

[The Compound]

I hope I remember its there when I do my Saturday morning parkour and do my running flip off the Derby House roof.