The public is invited to attend the official dedication of the newest active art park and a guided tour of the public art and fitness equipment on Thursday, Jan. 24. Starting at 10:30 a.m., Mayor Ron Littlefield, Artist Thomas Sayre and members of the Main Terrain design team will “turn the wheel,” opening the Main Terrain to the public.
Shortly after, the public will join in conversation with the artist, Mr. Sayre and the design team, or take off with fitness instructors Rick O’Rear from the Chattanooga Fitness Center, or Mike Alley, from Get Build Chattanooga for fitness demonstrations. Members of the 2013 Fire Academy will also participate in the fitness demonstrations. The public is invited to come and try out the new fitness equipment and take a turn rotating the moveable sculpture, free of charge.
The public is also invited to a presentation by artist, Mr. Sayre, landscape architect Mike Fowler, and Tom Norquist of GameTime as they discuss the design process and thoughts behind the making of the Main Terrain. This event is open to the public, free of charge and will be held in Ballroom 2 at the Chattanoogan Hotel at 1201 South Broad St. at 5:30 p.m.
The Main Terrain is an urban redevelopment project that has transformed a vacant tract of land in Chattanooga’s downtown into a completely unique urban art fitness park. Internationally-renowned artist Mr. Sayre was commissioned to design a series of sculptures that are the centerpiece for the park and are reminiscent of the iconic Walnut Street Bridge. The sculptures are movable so that park-goers can physically interact with the artwork. The park will also feature a brand new line of adult fitness equipment by PlayCore.
Main Terrain is made possible by an Our Town grant from the National Endowment for the Arts and by numerous locally-based businesses and nonprofits, including the city of Chattanooga, ArtsBuild, Public Art Chattanooga, Lyndhurst Foundation, Ross/Fowler Architecture and Landscape Architecture and PlayCore. The Main Terrain is designed by Ross/Fowler Architects, Landscape Architects, Knoxville.