“Keys With a View” was created by a an artist who enjoys using every day objects and transforms them into art. The city of Wilmington gave Stetler, the artist, the right to begin attaching keys to the fence on Princess street downtown. However, now even strangers attach keys; kids hang them with their parents; the artists even saw women in bridesmaids dresses put up keys. People connect to the project, Stetler said, because “keys are a common denominator,” she said. “Everybody, right now, has keys on them.” For the little girl with her diary, Stetler said, a key represents privacy. For the latchkey kid, it's security. For the 16-year-old who just got his license, it's freedom. For the new homeowner, it's a dream realized. The fence holds generic keys, car keys, rusty keys, shiny ones and even a hotel “key card.” There are keys for at least two structures that no longer exist – The Ice House on Water Street and Babies Hospital near Wrightsville Beach – and several “hidden” items from one of Stetler's mentors and inspirations, late artist Robert Delford Brown. There are tiny keys and a ring of giant, old-school keys affixed to the fence with a lock. A wooden key made from an oar and donated by
Cape Fear Riverwatch was stolen. “There's currently a reward for it,” Stetler said. The keys come from private individuals and several drop boxes around town, while others are donated en masse by hardware stores. “Maybe I'll have everyone come down and take a souvenir,” she said. In the meantime, “I hope the public will see public art little bit differently,” she said. “It doesn't have to be a sculpture. It can be social, collaborative, participatory.”
John Staton: 343-2343 On Twitter.com: @StarNewsPlay
