Bike Rack is Ninth to be Installed through Queen City Art Racks Project
On September 11, ArtWorks installed their latest sculptural bike rack on Hamilton Avenue in Northside's Jacob Hoffner Park. The bike rack is a part of ArtWorks' Queen City Art Rack project, and was designed by local artist and metal worker Kate Demske.
Queen City Art Racks is an ongoing initiative to bring artist-designed, functional bike racks to public spaces throughout Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky. In the process, it engages community stakeholders, employs professional artists, and strengthens the region's transportation options by creating awareness around bicycle parking. Since its launch in the spring of 2010, Queen City Art Racks has created 14 opportunities for artists. The new art rack in Northside is the ninth to be installed.
The design for this art rack was inspired by Northside history. Demske, who lives and works in Northside, shared, "This park was once the estate of Jacob Hoffner, noted Northside land owner and philanthropist. He was also an avid gardener, and Palm Street was named for the most famous plant in his greenhouse: a Sago Palm which had been owned by Robert Morris (one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence) before and during the Revolutionary War. This palm lived more than 130 years and was eventually donated to Horticultural Hall in Philadelphia. It's said that the only specimen that could rival it was owned by George Washington."
The project was sponsored by John Castaldi and Terry Bazeley, with additional support provided by MoBo Bicycle Co-op. Castaldi stated, "Terry and I see art created through ArtWorks every single day and believe very strongly that public art enriches the lives of all Cincinnatians. We are also very committed to Northside and our neighbors here and wanted to do something for our community. Finally, we wanted the rack to be designed by one of our neighborhood's many artists and were thrilled with the choice of Kate Demske and the final result."
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