Stix (public art installation)

Stix
The public art installation in 2016
Map
ArtistChristian Moeller
Year2015
LocationNashville, Tennessee, United States
Coordinates36°9′17″N 86°46′46″W / 36.15472°N 86.77944°W / 36.15472; -86.77944

Stix is a public art installation or sculpture at Korean Veterans Boulevard and 8th Avenue in Nashville, Tennessee. It was designed by Christian Moeller,[1] and erroneously reported to be an homage to the Native Americans who owned the land prior to European settlers.[2] "Actually, that was not my original intent. The only reference to Native American art I made was showing an image of a beautiful totem pole at an early stage of the project development. I did this in order to give an example of how the colors I proposed to use would contrast with the grayish, silver patina that the wooden poles would develop over time," said Moeller.[1] Its construction cost $750,000,[2] making it the "most expensive" public art installation in Nashville.[3] According to Nashville Public Radio, its cost and name turned it into "a magnet for skepticism" prior to its dedication in 2015.[4] In March 2018, a car crashed into the installation.[5]

The original design called for 35 poles standing 85 feet high and each pole tip was to be covered with a custom-made “LED lightcap” to emit a light glow at nighttime.[6] The design was later revised to reduce the number to 27 poles at a height of 70 feet tall and to eliminate the lightcaps.[7][8]

  1. ^ "Stix". Nashville Downtown Partnership. Retrieved December 21, 2018.
  2. ^ a b Todd, Jen (October 5, 2015). "Public Art Rising". The Tennessean. p. A4. Retrieved December 21, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ "Nashville's Most Expensive Public Art Rises from the Ground Up". Vice News. October 2, 2015. Retrieved December 21, 2018.
  4. ^ Gonzalez, Tony (September 21, 2015). "Just You Wait, Metro Arts Says. Towering 'Stix' Sculpture Will Impress". Nashville Public Radio. Retrieved December 21, 2018.
  5. ^ "Police: Car Traveling 100 MPH Crashes Into 'Stix' Sculpture". News Channel 5. March 22, 2018. Retrieved December 21, 2018.
  6. ^ "Big Roundabout, Big Sculpture, And Nashville's Biggest Pricetag To Date For Public Art". Nashville Public Radio. Retrieved January 27, 2019.
  7. ^ "Stix". Culture Now - Museum Without Walls. Retrieved January 27, 2019.
  8. ^ "Metro Arts Selects Christian Moeller for Korean Veterans Boulevard Roundabout Installation". Nashville Scene. 20 September 2013. Retrieved January 27, 2019.