Boynton Beach expands public art with new engaging murals, sculptures and kinetic pieces

Now, more than ever, Boynton Beach residents and visitors can experience public artwork with the addition of new sculptures and murals throughout the city.

Thanks to a program launched in 2007, the city has introduced nearly 100 works of art to Boynton Beach. Those projects are funded through a public art fee that developers pay on many of their construction projects, said Glenn Weiss, the city's art manager.

He said the goal was to make the city both beautiful and engaging — a place where people can walk the streets and enjoy the work of diverse artists. That can also mean more foot traffic for local businesses, Weiss added.

Here are some of the newest art pieces in Boynton Beach:

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The six spinning sailfish of Boynton Beach

The city commissioned six artists to transform fiberglass sailfish mounts into unique sculptures — a nod to Boynton Beach's long history of commercial and recreational fishing.

After briefly going on display at City Hall, the sculptures will be placed along East Ocean Avenue by May 1 and line the street for at least two years, serving as a link between the city's headquarters and the Boynton Harbor Marina.

The sculptures — which sit atop metal poles and rotate in the wind — have added to the growing collection of kinetic art in Boynton Beach.

Each sculpture represents the work of the following artists from Palm Beach and Martin counties:

• Turgo Bastien of Royal Beach Palm;

• Andrea Canham of Stuart;

• Tom D’Auria of Lake Worth Beach;

• Michelle Drummond of Delray Beach;

• Etheard Joseph of Jupiter;

• and Joseph Velasquez of Lantana.

The Boynton Beach Public Art Fund sponsored the project with additional support from the National Endowment for the Arts.

“The spinning sailfish will add to Downtown Boynton’s reputation as one of Florida’s premier outdoor walking art destinations for sculpture, murals, historic buildings and our international collection of kinetic art,” Weiss said.

Murals transform buildings throughout Boynton

NeuroBehavioral Hospitals of the Palm Beaches unveiled a new mural at its South Campus in late February, as part of the city's Art in Public Places project.

"The mural's overall concept is rooted in transformation, healing, reflection, and strength," hospital CEO Beau Lynch said during the mural's unveiling at 4905 Park Ridge Blvd.

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"We attempted to create a piece that depicts the odyssey that is grappling with mental health," Lynch continued. "Our artists specifically used yellow and orange to display empowerment and radiance. The blues and darker colors are meant to contrast and allow the oranges and yellows to shine forward.  We found it very important to embrace the darker elements to truly see the sunshine."

Aiko Szymczak and Corinne “Bee Bop” Trujillo, a duo based in Denver, Colo., and better known as the Koco Collab, created the mural and added to several others that recently appeared in Boynton Beach.

"A View Through the Illusion" is a new mural at Delray Pawn, 3377 N. Federal Highway (despite its name and postal address, city staff said the business is located in Boynton Beach). The mural by local artist Kristin Pavlick "represents urban and natural life in Florida and includes (Coca-Cola) cans, stop signs, shipping containers, gold, wedding rings, flamingos, snakes and more."

A mural at Gator State Storage, 860 W. Industrial Ave., now features the work of Greg Mankis, an artist based in Fort Lauderdale.

"The goal was to transform an otherwise ordinary industrial wall into a vibrant work of original art that reflects the dynamic beauty of South Florida," Mankis said on his website. "The concentric circle background immediately captures attention from afar, while the heron, birds, dock, and palm tree shift in appearance as you pass by the property."

And at Sara Sims Park, 234 NW 10th Ave., artist Tracy Guiteau transformed the amphitheater with a colorful painting that depicts birds in flight. The painting was photographed, printed on a series of large aluminum panels and then installed at the amphitheater.

There are several words — including faith, passion, love, flight, hope, growth and Mother Sims — hidden within the artwork.

"Guiteau wanted to remind people to have hope and take flight in their dreams, regardless of what those dreams look like," the city said in a recent announcement.

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Andrew Kovacs, an artist based in Los Angeles, unveiled a 35-foot-long sculpture last month at the Oakwood Square shopping center.

"The 'Big Bench' continues Kovac’s exploration of making spaces with colorful sculptures frequently inspired by oversized plastic toys," the city said in a news release. "The interior provides a multi-level seating experience. The purple and pink chevron pattern on the exterior calls attention to the sculpture."

What is kinetic art? See for yourself, now through November

About a dozen temporary installations are set up in the area around City Hall, 100 E. Ocean Ave., and along the stretch of East Ocean Avenue that leads to Boynton Harbor Marina, 735 Casa Loma Blvd. Several permanent art pieces also dot the half-mile route.

The temporary pieces, which are on display through November, are part of the Sixth Kinetic Biennial. This year's event features the work of artists from South Florida, Louisiana, New York, Georgia, Indonesia and the United Kingdom.

Kinetic art is "visual, conceptual, participatory or experiential art where real motion, the illusion of motion, or the feeling of motion is an essential attribute of the aesthetic content of the artwork," according to a description of the event.

"Human fascination with movement and curiosity about new art and technologies expands the connections between the artist and many communities," it continues.

Giuseppe Sabella is a reporter covering Boynton Beach and Lake Worth Beach at The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach him at gsabella@pbpost.com. Help support our journalism and subscribe today.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Boynton Beach has new outdoor sculptures, murals, kinetic art pieces