News
October 2, 2008
City To Hold Public Meeting On Proposed Sculpture Location
The City of Raleigh is having a public meeting on a recommendation to place the “Immigrant Gate II” sculpture in Millbrook Exchange Park. The meeting will be held on Monday, Oct. 13, from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at Millbrook Exchange Community Center, located at 1905 Spring Forest Road near the proposed location for the sculpture.
 The City’s Arts Commission is recommending that “Immigrant Gate II,” (shown at left) created by artist Jim Galluci, be placed in Millbrook Exchange Park. The City’s Parks, Recreation and Greenway Advisory Board and Mr. Galluci both support the recommendation. Citizens will have 30 days to comment on the proposal. After the public comment period ends on Oct. 30, the recommended location for the sculpture will go to the City Council for its consideration.
“Immigrant Gate II,” first shown at Pier Walk in Chicago in 1997 and subsequently exhibited at various parks in the Midwest, first came to Raleigh as part of the 2003-2004 Downtown Raleigh Sculpture Expo. It was later purchased by the City of Raleigh Arts Commission to become part of the City’s permanent art collection. Most recently, the sculpture was on exhibit across the street from the Progress Energy Center for the Performing Arts downtown. As a result of the opening of the Raleigh Convention Center, the sculpture’s relocation became necessary and the search for a permanent home for the art work sculpture was undertaken by the Arts Commission.
This past summer the Arts Commission’s Public Art Committee surveyed three different locations for possible gate relocation. Given the kinetic nature of the piece, the members of the committee decided a public park was the most suitable site.
Millbrook Exchange Park meets the Arts Commission’s various criteria for exhibiting the sculpture, including attractive surroundings, high visibility, and a setting that allows viewers to walk around the sculpture and interact with the artwork if they so desire. The recommended location for “Immigrant Gate II” also addresses the Arts Commission’s goal to locate more artwork in City parks.
The “Immigrant Gate II” sculpture is 148 inches in height, 121 inches in width, and is comprised of welded steel and epoxy paint. The art is part of a series of gate works created by Mr. Gallucci. “This gate was designed in remembrance of my family coming to America, as Italian immigrants, in the 1930s,” he said. “America represented new challenges and a better future for their family. The design embodies the American ideal with the stars and waving stripes, and the symbolism is instantly recognizable to anyone in the world.”
Raleigh residents who are unable to attend the Oct. 13 public meeting can email their comments on the proposed sculpture location to Publicart@ci.raleigh.nc.us by Oct. 30.
For more information, email Carol.mallette@ci.raleigh.nc.us or call the City of Raleigh Arts Commission at 890-3610.
Prepared by:
John Boyette
Public Affairs Specialist
Public Affairs Department
For More Information Contact:
June Guralnick
Arts Commission, Executive Director
City Manager Department
222 West Hargett Street, Room 504
Raleigh, NC 27601
919-890-3610
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