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About the Art
A special and one-of-a-kind feature of the Activity
and Recreation Center (ARC) is site-specific public
art. Artist Norman Courtney was selected in 2000 by
the City's Standing Committee on Public Art to create
art for the ARC and worked with the project design
team until his sculpture was installed in November
2002. The result, a 12-foot tall, 15-foot wide, 1,200
pound figure entering water, is suspended in the atrium,
just past the main entry doors of the building. The
splash element of the sculpture is evident from the
second level exercise track. "Taking the Plunge"
was the fourth Percent for Art project to be completed
in Columbia.
Artist's Statement
"I was initially intrigued by the ripple image
created by acorns falling into the water that I saw
on my first trip there at Rock Bridge State Park.
It was such an elegant, simple, instantly recognizable
icon for water. I kept coming back to that image over
and over as I thought about an artwork for that building.
Then the challenge was how to depict that with respect
to the human experience of water. To do this I combined
the human figure with the ripple. I wanted this figure
to be dynamic and address the dimensions of the lobby,
especially the vertical dimensions, in order to engage
viewers upon entering the building and immediately
give them a sense of place. It is also about being
bold and being willing to explore the unknown, in
this case looking below the surface of the water and
entering into another realm of experience or "Taking
the Plunge."
-Norman Courtney, November 2002
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