Public art projects created for Chapel Hill's Town Operations Center were among 45 projects singled out as outstanding examples of public art during the Americans for the Arts 2008 Year in Review.

"Chapel Hill is thrilled to receive national attention for these projects," said Jeffrey York, public art administrator. "As public art contributes to making Chapel Hill a great place to live, the Town's goal is to make public art a part of its residents and visitors daily lives. We encourage everyone to visit the Town Operation Center, take a leisurely walk along the new sustainability trail, and enjoy these fine artworks."

Nationally-acclaimed artist Jody Pinto and Ted Landsmark, president of Boston Architectural College, made the selections from more than 180 entries from across the United States. The selected projects were presented at the National Americans for the Arts Conference in Philadelphia, June 20-22.

The Chapel Hill projects recognized were created by Washington, D.C. based artist Larry Kirkland as part of Chapel Hill's Percent for Art Program. In Our Own Hands is the title of the artwork sited on a plaza near the Public Works Administration Building at 6850 Millhouse Road. The artist did extensive research and held discussions with employees to select tools and symbols of their work, which he then cast in bronze and mounted onto a curved, stone wall, beautifully fashioned by local stonemason Judson Daniel.

"The artist's commitment to represent our department's contribution to the town shows when you experience the artwork," commented Emily Cameron, a landscape architect employed at the public works department. "The bronze objects communicate the ordinary and seasonal tasks accomplished by public works employees, as well as extraordinary duties like storm recovery."

The second artwork is a sculpted, marble bench near the entrance to the Transit Administration Building at 6900 Millhouse Road. Titled Around Town, the bench's undulating shape is meant to mimic the area's rolling hills. The bench is engraved along its length with familiar images - a church steeple, bicycle, university architecture, birds, tree leaves, and other recognizable icons that one might see during a transit ride. Mechanical bus parts are also a part of the incised imagery.

Chapel Hill's growing indoor and outdoor public art collection now totals more than 50 works of art in a variety of media. This art collection has been assembled over the years through private donations and commissions. Many of these works, including the recently awarded public art pieces, are funded through Chapel Hill's Percent for Art Ordinance, which allocates 1 percent of selected capital projects for the creation and maintenance of permanent works of public art. Funding for Percent for Art projects comes from each project's construction budget, which can include federal, state, county, town and private support. In North Carolina, the only other cities with percent-for-art programs are Asheville and Charlotte.