A square-headed robot named Tommy is often a central figure in Leonard “Porkchop” Zimmerman’s artwork.
Sometimes he’s joyous and playful; at other times, he’s contemplative and sad, but for a new downtown public art project, Tommy will bring his fun side. Called Bots on Broad, the Greater Augusta Arts Council’s initiative will feature mini-Tommy statues that will appear in local businesses. The organization is in the process of raising $5,000 for it. Click here to donate.
“I’m currently in the stage of figuring out how to make Tommy look good in 3D,” said Zimmerman.
The robots will be about eight inches tall or according to the artist – taller than a “Star Wars” action figure, but shorter than a Barbie doll.
In Tommy’s 2D world, the artist knows how to make the robot achieve the right look, but Zimmerman is working in a new medium for this so he’s enlisted friends in the area to give him pointers. He said Genevieve Lucas, who is Westobou’s artist-in-residence, and the people at The Garage have answered a lot of questions.
Each Tommy will take on a different look according to where it’s placed. The Book Tavern and Art on Broad have confirmed their involvement with the project, according to Heather Rene Dunaway, the arts’ council’s public art manager, and their bots will reflect the nature of their business.
“I want these to be expressive and tie into the place where they are going to be,” Zimmerman said.
While they will be created using a 3D printer, they won’t look like mass-produced action figures. They will look like the handcrafted, one-of-a-kind works they are, he said.
This is the first phase of the project with a later phase being the creation of bronze Tommy figures placed outside. With the downtown construction, an outdoor project isn’t feasible right now. The second phase could involve students at Augusta University, Dunaway said.
This new public art piece can fit with downtown’s other initiatives which includes the Augusta Sculpture Trail, the painted traffic boxes and the multiple murals.
“We wanted something to get people excited about public art. We needed something new and fresh,” said Dunaway, who got the idea from Greenville, South Carolina’s “Mice on Main” project which features bronze mice scattered along the city’s Main Street.
The mice sculptures are inspired by the children’s book “Goodnight Moon.” Scavenger hunt events allow people to interact with the trail.
Dunaway said she could see the Bots on Broad having a similar element to act as a draw to bring visitors downtown.
Zimmerman said he hopes the sculptures will be in place by year’s end.
Charmain Z. Brackett, the publisher of Augusta Good News and Inspiring: Women of Augusta, has covered Augusta’s news for more than 35 years. She’s won multiple Georgia Press Association awards and is the recipient of the 2018 Greater Augusta Arts Council’s media award. Reach her at charmain@augustagoodnews.com. Sign up for the newsletter here.
