Boca Raton, FL – Beginning on Saturday, April 2, the City of Boynton Beach’s Public Art program, BoyntonArts, will feature artwork from local artists Luis Montoya and Leslie Ortiz in Downtown Boynton. This free outdoor exhibition, which includes eight sculptures and 24 banners with photographs, will be displayed throughout the City’s ‘Avenue of the Arts’ on E. Ocean Ave. between Seacrest Blvd. and Federal Highway through September 2022. Self-guided tour maps will be available for download on the City’s website; printed copies will be available for pickup at nearby City facilities including City Hall, the Library and the Arts & Cultural Center.
The West Palm Beach artist team of Montoya and Ortiz is one of the very rare visual art collaborations. They have worked together for more than 30 years to create both sculptures and individual paintings, many of which have been featured at many art fairs throughout the state, including Art Palm Beach and Art Miami.
Sculptures
Six of the exhibition’s sculptures come from the Alternative Fuels series and Montoya’s abstract work from the 1990s. Alternative Fuels features compositions of oil and gas containers or the suggestion that fruits and vegetables are generating a liquid fuel from a spigot at the bottom of a beverage dispenser made of bronze. Montoya’s early sculptures are steel totems with angular geometric cuts and shapes. Many of them are made from “corten,” which gives the steel an even, thin layer of protective rust.
The two additional sculptures that will complete the exhibition (tomato sculptures) were created specifically for Boynton Beach. They are part of the artists’ ongoing series of vegetable sculptures, and were selected by BoyntonArts in part to recognize the role tomatoes played as Boynton Beach’s first significant cash crop for settlers in the late 19th and much of the 20th centuries. Well-known historic photos, part of the City Library’s robust digital collection, show the packing sheds on the canals and near the railroad station.
Banners
The 24 banners that will line E. Ocean Ave will serve as an outdoor sculpture catalog. The photographs on the 30 x 60 inch banners show representative works from the artists’ major series: Emprendedoras, Tapas, Fruta de Mar, Culinary Adventures and Alternative Fuels.
The Avenue of the Arts is located within walking distance of the City’s new Town Square, a recent re-development project that includes a new City Hall, Library, Arts & Cultural Center and the historic Schoolhouse Children’s Museum. “We are thrilled to feature the artwork of Montoya and Ortiz for the 10th Avenue of the Arts exhibition,” said Glenn Weiss, Public Arts Manager. “The artwork will powerfully connect with visitors, solidifying Boynton Beach as an arts destination that no doubt will contribute to the City’s economic development and branding.”
About the Artists: Montoya was born in Spain to a family of artists. By the early 1970s, he completed his BFA and MFA from Madrid’s School of Fine Arts of San Fernando and was showing his work in Europe.
Ortiz is a native of West Palm Beach, and holds degrees in Fine Arts from Boston University and the Rijksakademie van Beeldende Kunsten in Amsterdam. Ortiz joined Montoya as an assistant in 1985 and together, they began their collaboration in 1994.
About Boynton Arts: Boynton Arts is the new brand for the City of Boynton Beach’s Public Art Program. The Program is funded through the Art in Public Places ordinance that requires new construction projects greater than $250,000 to purchase and install public artwork on their property or contribute 1% of the construction cost to the Public Art Fund for installation of permanent and temporary public art in the city. BoyntonArts produces the Kinetic Biennial, the Boynton Sculpture Show, the new Boynton Mural Program and exhibitions in the Arts & Cultural Center gallery. The City’s appointed Arts Advisory Board develops the BoyntonArts programs and approves public art by private owners for the Art in Public Places ordinance. For more information, contact the City’s Public Art Manager, Glenn Weiss, at 561-742-6026 or weissg@bbfl.us.
