Murals, glass works, and sculptures line the streets of Norfolk, Virginia’s NEON District celebrating both the old and the new with more than sixty pieces of public art on display. An acronym for “New Energy Of Norfolk,” the district also features neon art, a nod to Norfolk’s neon heyday, when electric signage advertised the city’s booming automobile industry, including a Ford manufacturing plant that operated from 1925-2007.
弗吉尼亚州是最繁华的霓虹灯是诺福克，街道上排列着60多件新旧交替的公共艺术作品，包括壁画、玻璃制品和雕塑等。诺福克是“诺福克新能源”的缩写，该地区还以霓虹灯艺术为特色，为了向诺福克的霓虹灯全盛时期致敬，当时的电子标牌宣传了该市蓬勃发展的汽车工业，包括一家1925-2007年运营的福特制造厂。
Launched in 2013, the district is supported by grassroots planning from artists and civic leaders, including the city’s Public Art Commission and the NEON District Committee.Property owners, tenants, and artists are motivated by the public art grant program, which provides funding to revitalize and beautify a downtown area that was once neglected.
诺福克于2013年建立，得到了该市的公共艺术委员会和霓虹灯区委员会的支持，
为了振兴和美化一度被忽视的市中心地区，诺福克启动了公共艺术资助计划。
Although the district has been active for the past six years, the city and the Downtown Norfolk Council have been working on these efforts for the past twenty years, says Rachel McCall, special projects manager for the Downtown Norfolk Council.
诺福克市中心委员会的特别项目经理雷切尔·麦考尔说：“20年以来我们一直在寻找让市中心的活跃起来的方法。”
“Norfolk firmly believes in the economic, creative, and human value of an arts community,” she says. “Public art is an essential piece of this place making, creating opportunities for interaction, play, and beautification.”
切尔·麦考尔补充说:“诺福克坚信社区艺术的经济、创意和人文价值，”“公共艺术是这个地方的重要组成部分，并且创造了互动、交流和丰富人文情感的机会。”
Artists are not only inspired by the rich heritage of neon signage that advertised the automobile dealers and repair shops of the past but also the current arts scene, which includes the Chrysler Museum Glass Studio.
以前的汽车店和修理店留下的霓虹灯招牌，以及克莱斯勒博物馆玻璃工作室内的艺术场景，给艺术家们设计新标识带来了全新灵感。
The Studio offers a neon bending class to the public and opportunities for experienced studio artists and beginner glass assistants to hone their craft. Glass artists (including well-known neon artists) hold demonstrations at Chrysler’s “hot shop.”
克莱斯勒博物馆玻璃工作室给艺术家提供灵感的同时，也给了刚刚入行的玻璃加工者提供了磨炼的机会，因为克莱斯勒博物馆让人们明白了霓虹灯是如何弯曲。
“The combination of historic influence and modern artistry has made the district perfectly situated for neon, glass, and sign experimentation,” says McCall.
“Additionally, there are a number of new neon signs that property and business owners have now added to the neighborhood.”
麦克考尔说:“由于历史影响和现代艺术的结合，霓虹灯、玻璃制品非常适合诺福克。许多新霓虹灯标识出现在市中心，说明一些物业和企业已经意识到霓虹灯艺术对于诺福克的价值。”
One example of a neon art piece is “SEEP NFK” (see photo below), created by Chicago artist Erik L. Peterson who first displayed the piece in Norfolk in 2015 for AGLOW, a neon exhibition showcasing local, national, and international artists who work with sculptural neon. Following the show, Peterson loaned the piece to NEON, which is currently featured on an historic apartment building in the district. The local sign industry also took part in this project; a neon sign fabricator and installer worked closely with the Downtown Norfolk Council to complete the display.
比如，由芝加哥艺术家埃里克·彼得森创作的“seep nfk”霓虹灯艺术作品，他于2015年首次在诺福克“Aglow”霓虹灯展览会上展示了这件作品，同时还展示了国际艺术家雕刻的霓虹灯标识。展览结束后，彼得森将“seep nfk”霓虹灯艺术品借给了诺福克一家霓虹灯标识公司，现在“seep nfk”霓虹灯就在诺福克一座历史悠久的公寓楼中展出。由于当地的霓虹灯标识制造商、安装商与诺福克市中心委员会的密切合作，所以圆满结束了这次标识展览会。
NEON’s signage program extends beyond its namesake. In 2017 and 2018, the Downtown Norfolk Council created a wayfinding program to help visitors navigate the arts district.
霓虹灯的标牌设计已经不仅仅是在设计霓虹灯形象，2017年和2018年，诺福克市中心委员会设计了霓虹灯导视标识，起到指引的作用，引导游客去往艺术中心。
“The signage package focused on connecting two sides of the district at a pedestrian scale,” says McCall. “The program included locally made glass discs embedded in city sidewalks, custom fabricated metal, and concrete monolith signs with directions and display windows for vinyl art.”
麦考尔说：“这个标识设计的重点是在人行道两侧路线中的导视作用，并且最终方向标识是连接该地区的霓虹灯艺术中心。”该项目涉及镶嵌在城市人行道上的玻璃标识、定制的金属标识和导视标识。
In addition, a bus station canopy was retrofitted with a sculptural piece that showcased the NEON District logo. Local fabricators and a sign company supported the fabrication of the project, in collaboration with a graphic design and architecture firm who spearheaded the drawings.
诺福克一家标识公司与一家平面设计建筑公司合作，把公交车站的天蓬改造成展示霓虹雕塑作品，建筑公司负责设计图纸，标识公司设计导视标识。
The range of artwork on display in the district reflects the diversity and talent of the city, creating a tapestry of both small and large pieces that dot the cityscape. Describing the pieces as everything from “tiny pops of color” to giant murals, electric signs, and temporary fiber pieces, McCall says that much diversity underlies the talent, “Internationally known artists have created large-scale works, as have student artists as young as fifteen years old.”
诺福克展出的霓虹灯艺术品种类繁多，反映了其多样性，艺术家们创造了一幅幅大小不一的挂毯，点缀着整个城市的景色。麦考尔将这些作品描述为从“微小的色彩冲击”到巨大的壁画、电子标识等各种各样的东西。他还说，不仅艺术品多样性，人才也是多种多样的，“国际知名的艺术家创造了大规模的作品，其中也有15岁的学生艺术家。”
At any given point, a visitor to the district might see one piece created by a local art professor and another by a New York muralist. “We also have pieces created by local university students, sign fabricators, and glass artists of all ages, genders, and backgrounds. The murals are just as varied as the creators,” says McCall.
麦考尔表示：“在任何一个特定的旅游景点地区，游客可能会看到由当地的艺术家独立完成的一件霓虹灯壁画作品，也会看见另一件霓虹灯壁画作品是由其他地区壁画家创作，并且还有当地大学生创作的霓虹灯壁画。总而言之，每件壁画标识是由年龄、性别和背景都不同的玻璃艺术家创作，所以这些壁画和创作者一样是多种多样的。”
The Council receives a high number of applicants for each open call. Once selected, artists receive micro-grants of up to $599 for material and design costs. Property owners and tenants can apply for matching grants (up to $2,500) of the funds raised in support of a project.
事实上，理事会通过公开集资，收到了大量申请者的电话。一旦被选中，艺术家将获得高达599美元的材料费和额外的设计费用。业主和承租人为了一个霓虹灯项目，可以申请配套拨款（最多2500美元）的资金筹集。
In drawing visitors, the arts district is achieving its goal of revitalizing the area. “The public is extremely welcoming to public art,” says McCall. “Visitors, both professional and amateur photographers, come to the NEON District primarily to take photos.”
麦考尔解释:“诺福克霓虹灯艺术正逐渐实现振兴，因为公众非常欢迎公共艺术，所以大量游客都会涌入诺福克，无论是专业摄影师还是业余摄影师，目的都是为了在霓虹区拍上一张惊艳无比的照片。”
More property owners are also taking advantage of the grant program and investing in art for public display. “Businesses are now accustomed to public art, often requesting a mural upon signing a lease in the neighborhood,” says McCall.
现在的商业界已经普遍认可公共艺术，所以更多的业主也在利用赠款投资公共展览艺术，并且会在签订租约后，添加霓虹灯壁画等公共艺术。
The Council plans on adding more neon, repairing and maintaining the pieces, and continuing an ongoing project to display LED signage. “The artwork serves to knit together a sense of pride for our local fabric in Norfolk,” says McCall. “Our city has one of the largest concentrations of public art on the east coast, in a very dense area that is highly walkable and recognizable.”
诺福克委员会计划增加更多的霓虹灯艺术品，同时也要做好维护修理工作，所以设计了一个LED显示屏标识。麦考尔特别自豪的说:“诺福克是东海岸最大的艺术品集中地之一，在密集的市中心人们能清楚的看见导视标识，可以指引人们去艺术展览中心或者任何公交车站台，总之，只要是人们想去往的地方，都可以清
