Art For Us All To Enjoy
by Jill Duff-Hoppes
The City of Oviedo is making a strong push to bring more visual art into its public buildings and parks for residents and visitors to enjoy.
Two of Oviedo’s newest art initiatives can be seen inside City Hall at 400 Alexandria Boulevard during regular business hours or during City Council meetings. One project is called Art in the Chambers, which will showcase the work of a local artist or group of artists; the other is a cheerful-looking watercolor map of Oviedo highlighting numerous city landmarks.
Art in the Chambers exhibits will change every quarter. The inaugural exhibit debuted this summer and features 15 watercolor paintings by the late James Koevenig, a longtime Oviedo resident and artist who passed away in 2015 at the age of 84.
“I think Art in the Chambers is a fabulous idea to expose people to different artists in our area,” says Kim Koevenig, James’s daughter. “It’s also a great use of the wall space in the City Council chambers.”
Curated by City staff and Kim, the current exhibit captures old Oviedo and evokes a sense of nostalgia for days gone by. James enjoyed photographing and painting workers in the celery and cabbage fields that existed near his home in Oviedo as well as nature scenes such as the St. Johns River, birds, flowers, and trees. He was a multi-talented artist who also enjoyed woodworking and sculpture, and his work was chosen on more than one occasion as the poster art for the Oviedo-Winter Springs Regional Chamber of Commerce’s Taste of Oviedo. James was also a biology professor at the University of Central Florida, a writer and illustrator, and an educational filmmaker.
Kim thinks it is fitting that her father’s award-winning work was selected to kick off the Art in the Chambers program, which was developed by Oviedo’s Public Arts Board, approved by the City Council, and designed to expand public art and appreciation in the city.
“My dad really loved painting Oviedo,” says Kim, a registered dietician and graduate of Oviedo High School. “So many of his paintings depicted the vanishing agricultural scene in this area and some of the neat old buildings that are no longer there anymore.”
The exhibit will remain on display in the City Council chambers until December 19. The paintings are available for sale, with 20 percent of proceeds earmarked for Oviedo’s Public Art Fund. Several pieces have already sold.
It’s Iconic
The watercolor map of Oviedo and its best-known landmarks was also approved by the Public Arts Board and City Council. The map was designed and painted by artist Caryn Dahm, an Oviedo resident and former member of the arts board. Caryn, who came up with the idea after seeing similar illustrated maps while visiting other cities, was commissioned by Oviedo to undertake the project. The intent was to define the character and identity of the city via the painted icons.
“Oviedo has so many unique spots and places that are special to people,” says Caryn, who researched illustrated maps from around the globe to prepare for drawing and painting one, herself. “I thought it would be a really wonderful thing for our city. It was certainly a labor of love and something I had been wanting to paint for a long time.”
Caryn’s original painting, which is on display in a corridor of City Hall, features about 40 small illustrations of everything from local high-school mascots to wildlife to the Nelson and Company Water Tower. There are nods to Oviedo’s agricultural roots, with images of citrus and celery, and the city’s ubiquitous chickens even made the map.
Dr. Teresa Correa, Oviedo’s development services director and staff liaison to the Public Arts Board, hopes the city’s art initiatives bring exposure to the artists and spark conversations among residents and visitors.
“It is so interesting how art speaks to people on a personal level,” says Teresa. “It’s really precious to see the connection.”
Art at Every Turn
Oviedo is already home to several large murals at Center Lake Park, Round Lake Park, and the Oviedo Gymnasium & Aquatic Facility, all painted by local artist Xavier Moss.
Future public art initiatives will include Wings of Joy, a butterfly sculpture project at Solary Park; and a portrait of the late Joe Lee, a longtime Oviedo resident and golf course architect. Joe was responsible for designing the courses at Twin Rivers Golf Club in Oviedo and Tuscawilla Country Club in Winter Springs, among many others around the world. City officials hope to unveil both art projects to the public in 2025, during Oviedo’s centennial celebration.
Caryn, who has been commissioned to paint Joe’s portrait, is grateful that Oviedo officials care about art and are invested in it.
“You know how smells – olfactory experiences – bring people back so powerfully?” says Caryn. “I think art can do that, too. It just moves people.”