City of Dublin Approves Contract with Artist Ivan Depeña for the Muirfield Public Art Commission.
The City of Dublin staff brought forward a resolution to Dublin City Council at the Nov. 4 meeting to approve a contract with artist Ivan Depeña for the Muirfield Drive Public Art Commission. The contract was authorized, and the project is planned to move forward at the Muirfield and Whittingham Drive location, with an anticipated completion in early 2026.
Ivan Depeña was unanimously recommended by a selection committee for the Muirfield Drive Public Art Commission as part of the Dublin Art in Public Places program during an artist presentation held by Dublin Arts Council on June 13. The committee presented Depeña's artwork titled “S/WING” to Dublin City Council for their approval as the next art installation in Dublin.
On Thursday, June 13th the finalist presentations for the Muirfield Drive Public Art Commission
were held from 6:00-9:00 pm at the Dublin Recreation Center. With feedback given by 65 people in attendance and 32 people who attended virtually, the selection committee deliberation resulted in
the selection of an artist and his proposal.
The selection committee unanimously recommend artist Ivan Depeña and his proposal, S/WING (working title).
As for next steps, City of Dublin staff will bring forward a resolution to Council to enter into contract with the artist to commission the next public artwork that will be located at Muirfield Drive and Whittingham Dr.
The public art collection includes both large and small visual artworks acquired through a variety of models in which Dublin Arts Council is actively engaged; including major gifting, committee-directed projects, calls for entries and jurying, on-loan programs with an acquisition component, interactive projects, contributions to the City’s interior collection and projects which define a community initiative.
The Muirfield Drive Public Art Project is being funded through an appropriation of $175,000 from
The State of Ohio for a public art project pursuant to Ohio Substitute House Bill 687. The State funding is awarded through the Ohio Facilities Construction Committee (OFCC). The City of Dublin is administering the state funds following all of Dublin’s Art in Public Places policies established in partnership between the Dublin Arts Council and City of Dublin. The Muirfield Homeowners Association Board originated the grant and donated the parcel of land to the City to meet the grant requirements of this project. An MOU was signed between City of Dublin, Dublin Arts Council, and Muirfield Association to establish the terms and cooperative efforts between each party.
This project was also made possible due to the assistance of State Senators Stephanie Kunze (R-Franklin County), Andy Brenner (R-Delaware County) and Bill Reineke (R-Union County) working with the Muirfield HOA Board and Staff.
Depeña’s presentation included slides of six previous public art projects that are “context aware” as he describes, and related to the scale, material, engineering and installation considerations for this proposal.
For his proposal, Depeña drew inspiration from movement and flight. S/WING embodies the dynamic motion of a golf swing (inspired in part by Jack Nicklaus’ trademark swing) intertwined with the movement of bird’s wings in flight.
“…For residents of Muirfield and the broader Dublin area, this sculpture offers a place of reflection and inspiration, drawing connections across time— from the historical and spiritual, to the communal and current recreational use of the land.”
The selection committee felt it had a direct relation to the site and that the artwork will serve as both an iconic landmark and a destination for years to come.
WHITTINGHAM & MUIRFIELD DRIVE
The open green space includes an approximate 10-foot-high knoll which enhances visibility for a potential public artwork. The site is accessible by bike/walking paths and is very visible when driving north- or south-bound on Muirfield Dr. The site is located adjacent to the Memorial Tournament’s 12th hole
and the 13th hole entry gate, providing opportunities for a broadcast landmark that will be visible on a global stage.
The site also meets a variety of public art site selection criteria, including providing a location that, when activated by art,
will create a strong sense of place.
More about the artist.
Ivan Toth Depeña is a hispanic-american artist currently based in Charlotte, NC, after having lived and worked in Miami, FL and New York, NY. With a Masters Degree in Architecture from Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design, Depeña’s artistic production is informed by his experience in art, architecture, technology and design, and encompasses
a range of media.
Depeña has been working increasingly in the public realm and maintains a rigorous, self-directed studio practice. He has exhibited extensively, nationally and internationally, in both solo and group exhibitions, including at the McColl Center, NC; Praxis NY, NYC; New Britain Museum of American Art, CT; Miami Art Museum, Frost Art Museum, and the Museum of Contemporary Art, North Miami. Depeña has recently completed large-scale public commissions in New York, NY; Denver, CO; Albuquerque, NM; Gainesville, and Miami, FL. His work is held in numerous public and private collections.
Ivan has won Public Art of the Year for various projects from Americans for the Arts and the Public Art Network. In early 2014, he was awarded a prestigious Knight Arts Challenge Miami Grant for his proposal for a first of its kind series of augmented reality public art projects throughout South Florida called “Lapse”. Depeña was also a finalist for the renowned Cisneros Fontanals Art Foundation (CIFO) Grants & Commissions program for Hispanic artists for 2017-2018. In addition, he received a nomination for the prestigious United States Artist grant in 2017.
