Temple Terrace Wins Art Award
Editor’s Note: The following was extracted from a press release by Plan Hillsborough Media Contacts
Tampa, FL – The Planning Commission is proud to announce the winners of our 40th Annual Planning & Design Awards presented by TECO. This celebration of excellence in planning and design in Hillsborough County was held on Thursday, October 27, 2022. Our annual awards program aligns with the many national festivities held during the American Planning Association‘s National Community Planning Month. Established in 2006, #PlanningMonth highlights the role of planners and the importance of good community planning.
The event was held at the Bryan Glazer Family Jewish Community Center, winner of the Jan Abell Award for Outstanding Contribution in Historic Preservation at the Planning Commission’s 35th Annual Planning and Design Awards presented by TECO in 2017. Photographs of the event and award winners can be viewed in an album on the Planning Commission’s Facebook page.
The Planning Commission has been recognizing excellence in planning and design for 40 years. Created to inspire and promote good practices that would turn the challenges that come with growth into opportunities for the Cities of Tampa, Temple Terrace, Plant City and unincorporated Hillsborough County, this annual awards program was born almost out of necessity. Learn more about the inspiration for this well-respected tradition in a brief 40th Anniversary video.
Special Recognition Awards
Three special awards were presented that were not selected by our jury.
Executive Director’s Award
City of Temple Terrace Meaningful Public Art in the City
Planning Commission Executive Director Melissa Zornitta presented the 2022 Executive Director’s Award to the City of Temple Terrace for its commitment to bringing meaningful art to public spaces.
The City has been proactive in forging relationships with community organizations, local artists, and others to make the investment in public art possible. In 2019, they partnered with the Temple Terrace Arts Council to embark on “Taking Art to the Streets” in the form of painting of a street mural at the intersection of Inverness and Glen Arven Avenues in which more than 100 resident volunteers participated.
In 2020, this partnership continued to commission murals installed on the walls at the intersections on 56th Street at Riverhills Drive and Busch Boulevard. The stunning murals were created by eight different professional artists.
The Family Recreation Complex, the Temple Terrace Public Library, and the Omar K. Lightfoot Center are also adorned with local works of art.
The most recent addition to the public art in the City is a beautiful bronze sculpture of a law enforcement K9 – K9 Aramis, who served with the Temple Terrace Police Department. Dedicated in July at Temple Terrace City Hall – the site of the Police Department – this memorial sculpture was made possible through a collaboration with the Westside Chapter of the Nam Knights Motorcycle Club. The City as a whole, and especially the TTPD, are honored to provide this place of reflection and commemoration paying tribute to the hard work and dedication of the four-legged officers in the Tampa Bay region who have reached the end of watch.
This award applauds the City of Temple Terrace for its arts initiative programs and this investment in preserving the its rich history, natural splendor, and adding beauty in unexpected places with meaningful public art in the City!
