As seasonal residents of this fair town, my wife and I were out of state when the U.S. Highway 550/160 interchange was reconfigured. Aware of the Arc of History sculpture controversy, our first glimpse drew a collective “Eww! What were they thinking?”
Like most Durangoans, we applauded the nighttime addition of the infamous T-rex head to the “rock banana” and mourned its removal. We still check out the banana every time we drive past to see if some creative soul has added new features.
Therein lies an excellent opportunity for a fun Snowdown-style community event!
Working under the assumption that 1) no one in Durango likes the current “rocks on a stick” thingie, and 2) there are a lot of very creative and talented artists in town, I hereby propose the following city-wide competition: Every month or two, a local artist or artistic group shall be selected by a committee of hopefully artistically inclined Durango residents to apply whimsically creative temporary additions to the Arc of History. Individuals responsible for the current sculpture are banned from the selection committee. At year’s end, The Durango Herald will conduct a poll with the winning team honored at the annual Snowdown parade. To provide further incentive for participants, the artist receiving the fewest votes will be relocated to Silverton and required to mediate the ongoing community feuding.
Dick Mason
Durango
