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Commission gives concept blessing to colorful sculpture proposed for Artelier plaza
Summary
Allstate Ventures presented a custom, weather-treated fiberglass sculpture by artist Alex Perba for the Artelier plaza; the commission estimate is about $250,000 and staff said review of permit paperwork and engineering details will follow. The commission offered a nonbinding conceptual blessing.
Rachel Spader, representing Allstate Ventures developers, asked the New Rochelle Municipal Arts Commission for a conceptual blessing on a custom exterior sculpture planned for the plaza at the Artelier building (8 Westchester/33 Westchester Place). Spader said the developers are working within the city’s Art Betterment program and that the combined fees for three buildings amount to $236,000; the proposed artwork itself is estimated at about $250,000, with additional costs for plans, lighting and engineering.
Kate Cox, an art consultant working with the team, recommended New York–based artist Alex Perba, saying Perba’s portfolio includes murals and exterior sculpture and that her work “is very colorful, expressive through form and pattern and color” and designed for public engagement. Spader and Cox described the intended piece as three connected fiberglass elements (with a smaller fourth element on top), each secured with interior steel ballasts, anchored to a fortified concrete base and engineered for long-term exterior exposure.
Commissioners asked technical questions about attachment methods, durability and color. Spader said the artist uses polyurethane paint plus primer and topcoat to protect against UV and weather extremes, and that the fabricator will contract an engineer and finalize a site plan once the commission and building department sign off on the concept. Lighting is not included in the $250,000 artwork estimate; Spader said lighting and final electrical work would be a separate, smaller expense of a few thousand dollars and would be addressed during final design.
The commission did not take a formal financial vote but signaled support for the concept. Staff directed the developers to submit final drawings and required permit paperwork to development staff for review; the group will return with a completed design and a formal application for the commission’s final blessing.
The commission’s next procedural step is for the developers to file engineering and permit documents with the building and development departments. The commission’s conceptual approval allows the project to proceed to final design and permitting.
