Columbia streets offer free public art

Posted on: May 7, 2020; Updated on: May 7, 2020
By Caleigh McDaniel, stucomm@mailbox.sc.edu

As the city of Columbia continues to grow, so does its collection of public art. Hundreds of pieces decorate the walls and streets of Soda City and reflect the culture and spirit of its people. Take a virtual tour from anywhere with this gallery of some of Columbia's best, most eye-catching public art.

Visit One Columbia's website for more information and a complete directory of public art in Columbia.

Located in Five Points, "The Hubbell" is a 15,000 pound masonry sculpture built by the late Columbia artist and stoneworker Jay Hubbell. Photo by Crush Rush.
The "MILAGROS Mural" has adorned the Taylor Street Garage since 2017. According to the MILAGROS Collective, the mural "borrowed from the visual vocabulary of traditional Latin American ex-votos." Photo by Crush Rush.
"Lovely Rita the Meter Maid" is located on the sidewalk in front of the City of Columbia Parking Payment Center. This work of street art was created by Matthew Kramer as part of a community art project called "Change for Change" where artists transformed parking meters into art to raise money to benefit the Climate Protection Action Campaign. Photo by Crush Rush.
"Eternal Flame" is a sculpture by Mexican artist Leonardo Nierman. The sculpture is located in the Moore School’s Charles S. Way Jr. Palmetto Courtyard. Photo by Crush Rush.
"Busted Plug" by Blue Sky is four stories in tall and weighs 675,000 pounds, making it the world's largest fire hydrant. The colossal sculpture is located on Taylor Street, between Marion Street and Bull Street. Photo by Crush Rush.
The "Richard T. Greener Memorial" by Jon Hair was installed next to the Thomas Cooper Library Feb. 12, 2018. The statue honors Greener, who was the first African American professor at UofSC. Photo by One Columbia.
Located on Lady Street in the Congaree Vista, "Connecting Volumes" by Klaus Hartmann and Reiner Märhlein represents the relationship between Kaiserslautern, Germany and Columbia. According to the One Columbia public art directory, "there have been several cultural exchanges between the cities, and art has also been created there by Columbia artists." Photo by Crush Rush.
"I Love You" by Bob Doster was donated to the City of Columbia by the SC School for the Deaf and Blind Foundation in 2019. According to the One Columbia public art directory, "The sculpture, a 4-foot tall hand forming the American Sign Language sign for 'I love you,' is made of a series of hand shapes that were created by students working with Doster to trace their hands on steel sheets that were then cut and patched together to create the sculptural shape." Photo by One Columbia.

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