Columbia streets offer free public art
Posted on: May 7, 2020; Updated on: May 7, 2020stucomm@mailbox.sc.edu As the city of Columbia continues to grow, so does its collection of public art. Hundreds
of pieces decorate the walls and streets of Soda City and reflect the culture and
spirit of its people. Take a virtual tour from anywhere with this gallery of some
of Columbia's best, most eye-catching public art.
Visit One Columbia's website for more information and a complete directory of public art in Columbia.
Located in Five Points, "The Hubbell" is a 15,000 pound masonry sculpture built by
the late Columbia artist and stoneworker Jay Hubbell. Photo by Crush Rush.
The "MILAGROS Mural" has adorned the Taylor Street Garage since 2017. According to
the MILAGROS Collective, the mural "borrowed from the visual vocabulary of traditional
Latin American ex-votos." Photo by Crush Rush.
"Lovely Rita the Meter Maid" is located on the sidewalk in front of the City of Columbia
Parking Payment Center. This work of street art was created by Matthew Kramer as part
of a community art project called "Change for Change" where artists transformed parking
meters into art to raise money to benefit the Climate Protection Action Campaign.
Photo by Crush Rush.
"Eternal Flame" is a sculpture by Mexican artist Leonardo Nierman. The sculpture is
located in the Moore School’s Charles S. Way Jr. Palmetto Courtyard. Photo by Crush
Rush.
"Busted Plug" by Blue Sky is four stories in tall and weighs 675,000 pounds, making
it the world's largest fire hydrant. The colossal sculpture is located on Taylor Street,
between Marion Street and Bull Street. Photo by Crush Rush.
The "Richard T. Greener Memorial" by Jon Hair was installed next to the Thomas Cooper
Library Feb. 12, 2018. The statue honors Greener, who was the first African American
professor at UofSC. Photo by One Columbia.
Located on Lady Street in the Congaree Vista, "Connecting Volumes" by Klaus Hartmann
and Reiner Märhlein represents the relationship between Kaiserslautern, Germany and
Columbia. According to the One Columbia public art directory, "there have been several
cultural exchanges between the cities, and art has also been created there by Columbia
artists." Photo by Crush Rush.
"I Love You" by Bob Doster was donated to the City of Columbia by the SC School for
the Deaf and Blind Foundation in 2019. According to the One Columbia public art directory,
"The sculpture, a 4-foot tall hand forming the American Sign Language sign for 'I
love you,' is made of a series of hand shapes that were created by students working
with Doster to trace their hands on steel sheets that were then cut and patched together
to create the sculptural shape." Photo by One Columbia.
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