By Jesse Wood
The 19 sculpture proposals submitted for the future Watauga County Veterans Memorial has recently been narrowed down to three by the project’s design contest sub-committee.
In the near future, community members will have a couple options to view drawings representing the finalists, interact with the sculptors and chime in on which proposal is their favorite.
The finalists are Suzie Hallier’s (shown here): “Time and Honor;” Clint Button’s: “Boone Veterans Memorial Courtyard;” and Wesley Wofford’s: “Marching Out of History to Forge the Future.”
The project is a collaboration between the Town of Boone, Watauga County and the High Country Chapter of Military Officers Association of America.
During the Memorial Day programming sponsored by the High Country Chapter of Military Officers Association of America at the Boone Mall on May 28, drawings of the final selections will be displayed.
Then in conjunction with the Fourth of July events in downtown Boone, the artists will share maquettes, which are small scale models, of their proposals. The artists will also be available to talk about their design or answer any questions to members of the community.
“Shortly after that the winner will be selected,” said Lindsey Miller of the Turchin Center for the Arts and a member of the design contest sub-committee for the Watauga County Veterans Memorial project.
Miller noted that the finalists were chosen based on particular criteria listed in the prospectus for the design competition, such as the inclusion of land, sea and air operations; past, present and future conflicts; and male and female soldiers of all ethnicities. The sculptures must reflect the culture of and fit within the landscape of the High Country. A safety element is also considered because it will have a mobile audience in downtown Boone.
The height of the sculpture is not to exceed 20 feet and not exceed an area of 10-foot-by-10-foot. The sculpture will be placed within a 20-by-20-foot area and will be located next to Town Hall at 537 W. King Street.
“We are excited,” Miller said. “Any one of the top three sculptures that were selected would be a wonderful fit for the town.”
The project has a $250,000 fundraising goal. The HCCMOAA started things off with $10,000. Watauga County donated $25,000, and the Town of Boone donated the downtown site and will provide preliminary site preparation and future maintenance and insurance.
Donations are still needed and can be made online at www.hccmoaa.com or mailed to:
Watauga County Veterans Memorial Fund
c/o High Country MOAA
P.O. Box 3312
Boone, NC 28607
The groundbreaking for the installation of the sculpture is scheduled to commence in 2018. The project will be finished by the summer of ’18.
For more information, click to www.hccmoaa.com or read about the feature in the April/May 2017 issue of High Country Magazine, which is on newsstands now.
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