Public art on the way

MARTINSVILLE — Three areas within the city of Martinsville will serve as the new homes of public art installations by none other than renowned local sculpture, the late Charles R. “C.R.” Schiefer.
The Martinsville Board of Works and Safety approved an artist commission agreement during its meeting Monday night that paved the way for the installations later this year, with work set to begin in late March.
The total cost of the project will be $215,000, most of which is being paid for through the “180 in Color” grant through the state’s READI program. The city will contribute about $90,000 for procurement of the artwork, which also means the city will then own the sculptures.
Originally from Pennsylvania, Schiefer spent much of his life living off Low Gap Road just south of the city, where a 10-acre property served as his living gallery for well over a hundred limestone sculptures he had arranged. He passed in 2018, and his family recently decided it wanted some of his sculptures to be u...