A sculpture garden could occupy public right-of-way in the Naples Design District.
Method & Concept, an art gallery that opened in 2013, is requesting a permit from the city of Naples for the display.
The sculpture garden would be south of Method & Concept at the intersection of 10th Street South and Second Avenue South, according to a city summary of the project.
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Various artworks are reflected in Dune Mirror by Bower Studios, on display at Method & Concept in Naples on Wednesday, July 17, 2019. The Naples Design District will hold a Design Crawl on Thursday, July 25, to showcase the businesses in the area during the off season. Alex Driehaus/Naples Daily News USA TODAY NETWORK – FLORIDA
The idea for the sculpture garden came to be when Method & Concept was in its previous location about a block north of where it is now on 10th Street South, said Chad Jensen, a founding director of Method & Concept.
Jensen and others at Method & Concept saw the space during walks up and down 10th Street South to look at the gallery’s future home, he said.
“We saw what the potential could be there, and we really wanted to wait and just kind of help beautify the area and create a little area that people could enjoy,” Jensen said.
Method & Concept intends to work with community partners to fill the space. For example, the gallery plans to work with the Naples Botanical Garden to include plants and landscaping in the sculpture park.
Jensen also described a partnership with the Naples Zoo, where Method & Concept would take old animal sculptures for display at the site.
“How amazing would it look for us to put this old piece of Naples history, that so many people’s kids and grandkids have climbed on, to polish it up, give it a fresh coat of paint and give it a new home,” Jensen said.
Plans for the sculpture park include a geodesic dome. Jensen also said a permanent seating area would be part of the site.
Rotating sculpture exhibits would be included in the space as well, according to plans submitted to the city.
The gallery would be in charge of maintenance of the artwork and vegetation in the space, according to plans submitted to Naples.
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Method & Concept submitted letters of support for the sculpture garden to the city from representatives of The Collective, which Method & Concept is part of, and Naples Square Homeowners Association.
“While not a large space, we feel this is a project that will impact the neighborhood favorably and provide enjoyment for its residents for years to come,” wrote Joaquin R. Carbonell, president of the Naples Square II Homeowners Association.
The city’s Public Art Advisory Committee heard a presentation from Method & Concept in December on the gallery’s plans for the public right-of-way.
Board members voted unanimously to recommend the City Council approve the project with a permeable pathway that meets Americans with Disabilities Act requirements to connect to an existing sidewalk on 10th Street South.
“I like that it’s both refreshing and new with the dome, for example. We don’t have anything like that in Naples as far as public art goes,” said Public Art Advisory Committee member Amanda Beights at the December meeting.
The City Council is expected to discuss the project at a public meeting Jan. 20, according to a city summary of the project.
Jensen said Method & Concept would like the sculpture park to be ready in time to hold a ribbon-cutting possibly at the beginning of the next tourism season.
“We’re really looking to involve as many of our partners and community as possible and ultimately create something that makes the quality of life, what is here, maybe if it improves it just a little bit, it gives people a little bit of an element of nature, a little bit of break from their day,” Jensen said.
