A rendering of artist Harry McDaniel’s “gateway” installation in Ashland
The town of Ashland is leaning into its future as an arts and culture destination with the planned summer 2025 unveiling of its first commissioned public work of art. The “gateway” sculpture will sit just west of the intersection of England and Louisiana streets, close to the eastern edge of the town’s Arts & Cultural District, and will serve as a welcome to visitors, perhaps drawing them into the “Center of the Universe” — the nickname for Ashland’s downtown due to its central location within the commonwealth.
“We want [the sculpture] to be visible enough to say, ‘We have something interesting going on here,’” says Leslie Bax, chair of Ashland’s Public Art Commission. “We have a lot of tourists who pull off [the highway] to fill up their cars and their stomachs. With this [artwork], maybe they’ll find a community to come back to.”
The Public Art Commission was established by the town council in fall 2022 and “hit the ground running,” Bax says, quickly welcoming eight works donated by local artist Charles Sthreshley. For the gateway project, the PAC issued a call for proposals and in May 2024 selected a submission from Harry McDaniel, a sculptor based in Asheville, North Carolina.
McDaniel with a piece of his “gateway” sculpture
A working artist for more than 40 years, McDaniel has completed over 20 public commissions or purchases. For Ashland, he designed a sculpture of two twisting, towering aluminum arcs that will curve over the roadway. In the day, the brushed surface will shimmer; at night, passersby will notice tiny lights embedded in it.
Due to the discovery of a main gas line, the art was moved from its original planned location, requiring two arcs to be separated by three lanes of traffic instead of the former five. Another change included the addition of brick pedestals with inset plaques for text, a suggestion from town officials.
“I like the look with the pedestals,” McDaniel says. “It makes a nice transition between a very contemporary design of the sculpture with the historic buildings and does a good job of localizing the piece.”
McDaniel stresses the importance of localization. “One of the purposes of all artwork is to enhance people’s sense of place,” he says. “I hope people in Ashland feel like this is a good fit and something they are happy to have incorporated into their sense of the town.”
Bax shares a similar outlook, hoping the community welcomes the piece. “So much of our current public art — our murals and bronze sculptures — speaks to our important and historic past,” she says. “Mr. McDaniel’s sculpture, however, leans into Ashland’s bold, exciting and growing future.”
The PAC itself has a full agenda for 2025. In addition to inventorying and mapping the town’s existing public art, the group plans to launch an Art on the Street program, which will invite artists nationwide to lend their creations for placement atop pedestals placed throughout Ashland.
“It will be a great way to keep local citizens intrigued and engaged, and I think our community is diverse and open-minded enough to accept all types of art,” Bax says. “Public art is important because it can start a dialogue. Not everybody is going to appreciate the art that we as a commission put on our streets. If you dislike something, tell us about it. And we want to know why people love it. I think there’s value in [both].”
