The redesign of the U.S. Highway 550/160 intersection has been grabbing locals’ and visitors’ attention all summer. Cones, flaggers, lane closures, new medians, traffic patterns and bike lanes have confounded drivers, delayed commutes and muddied the flow at a critical entrance point to Durango. Once the aesthetic capstone of the project was installed last week, though, things got really bad. The city’s latest public art acquisition, the “Arc of History,” has made a dramatic debut, drawing strong feelings about its design, its cost and its relevance. For all that, the sculpture is serving its purpose and is a welcome addition to the city’s extensive collection.
The sculpture was chosen from among three finalists that included a piece referencing Durango’s mining history and ancestral Puebloan dwellings as well as a metal tree-like sculpture with colorful balls referencing exploding fireworks. This latter, by Gunnar Anderson and Ann Christensen was similar to a piece already in the city’s collection – in Schneider Park near the Ninth Street bridge. The “Arc of History” has no such parallel; it is a wholly unique style that broadens the city’s art cache to reflect Durango’s commitment to supporting an evolving and wide-ranging arts community. That says as much or more about the city – and, in turn, has drawn more conversation from residents – than a horse or train sculpture would have.
It is precisely that function that art, in its most effective role, can serve. While many can agree that a Monet water lily painting is, by definition, beautiful, its effect on each person will differ broadly. For those not moved by pastels or flowers, the painting may have less impact, though. Abstract art can provoke stronger reactions; positive or negative, those responses are meaningful – and can be tied to the social, political or summer construction season context.
In that regard, the “Arc of History” serves as an effective proxy for the Highway 550/160 redesign and the confusion and inconvenience it has caused. To many, It is the icing on the cake. It certainly is a conversation point and, as such, has made an impact.
The city, as is its custom, gathered public input in the selection process that ultimately was decided by members of the Public Art Commission, the Colorado Department of Transportation, city officials and community members. Decrying the process and its outcome, as is critics’ custom, is too little too late.
City spokeswoman Sherri Dugdale is right in defending the “Arc of History” for its role in the larger collection: “Our goal is to have a diverse and widely eclectic collection, not all the same style, not all representational,” Dugdale said. The sculpture fits those criteria well.
A more mercenary defense is that the sculpture’s cost – $28,000 – is less than one half of 1 percent of the city’s budget. That is somewhat of an irrelevance, though, given the contextual nature of the piece. Presumably, those criticizing the “Arc of History” and its price tag would not have balked at a similarly priced sculpture of their liking whereas a universally beloved piece would have been rightly rejected had it come with a $20 million invoice. The cost was appropriate regardless of any individual’s opinion of the sculpture.
So was its selection: It has provoked strong reactions and says much about Durango. Witness the lively conversation it has spurred as proof of that.
