City of Durango set to buy three new sculptures

Sunday, Apr 3, 2016 7:32 AM Updated Monday, Apr. 4, 2016 10:51 AM

You can offer your opinion

“Frolic is a metal wind-activated kinetic sculpture that features a fish perched on a bicycle fork that allows it to both gyrate in weather vane mode and move up and down as if jumping the waves,” artist Patricia Vader said in a statement. This piece is 14 feet tall and priced at $8,000. Courtesy of the city of Durango

“The piece I am proposing is a dynamic sculpture of two 5-foot-long rainbow trout leaping and curling around a rocky pillar in their search for tasty morsels of food. ... Sited next to the Animas River, one of the last free-flowing fishing rivers in the state of Colorado, the relevance of my trout sculpture could not be more apparent. Appealing to everyone who passes it, the sculpture will heighten awareness of the need to preserve Durango’s watery treasure for generations to come,” said artist Peter Hazel in a statement. The piece is $8,000 and 7 feet tall. Courtesy of the city of Durango

“I love color and how it enhances my designs and the installation sites with bright and inspiring images that spark the imagination and engage visitors of all ages,” said artist Mary Ann Baker in a statement. The piece is $8,000 and 9 feet tall. Courtesy of the city of Durango

“Within my work, an emphasis is placed on the natural inherent qualities of material interacting formally to access human emotion and spirituality. To this end, transcending the physical nature of sculpture and imbuing the material with a greater overall presence or energy is paramount,” said artist Emme Culligan in a statement. The sculpture is $8,000 and 13.3 feet tall. Courtesy of the city of Durango

“My sculptures represent the energy found in totems and the interaction of the negative spaces created by the sculpture’s shapes. These represent moments in time. The colored spheres are depicting Father Sky, and the slightly patinated horizontals along with the columns represent Mother Earth. The horizontals also indicate the vastness of the land,” said artist Sandy Friedman in a statement. The piece is called “I’m dreaming with my brain awake.” It is 12 feet tall and costs $5,300. Courtesy of the city of Durango

“I use colors, kinetic motion, LED lighting in my works to give them a higher level of interaction with the viewers. I try to use bold colors in my works, after all, life is colorful, joyful and exhilarating. Why shouldn’t your art be,” said artist Chris Rench in a statement. The piece is $8,000 and 9 feet high. Courtesy of the city of Durango

“My work pendulates between the figurative and the abstract, modern and contemporary styles. I begin every design with a sketch or a digital model. Bringing that idea into space is an invigorating process. Each piece starts with a flat sheet of steel, which is hand cut, shaped and welded into sculptural forms,” said artist Hunter Brown in a statement. The piece is 10 feet tall and costs $8,000. Courtesy of the city of Durango

From 117 public art applications, a city committee narrowed the field to seven sculptures, and now it’s the community’s turn to weigh in.

The top three pieces will join the city’s permanent collection. Two will be placed near the Animas River Trail, and one will be installed behind Ecosphere on Eighth Street between East Second and East Third avenues, said Sherri Dugdale, assistant to the city manager.

The city has set aside $24,000 to purchase the pieces, and the price for each piece is $5,000 to $8,000.

The top seven sculptures include a variety of styles, ranging from huge, stone rainbow trout to a 9-foot-tall metal jazz drummer. The group selected the finalists based on size, potential maintenance and how appropriate they thought they would be for Durango, Dugdale said.

An open house will be held at the library this week for the public to view photos of the art and provide feedback. The city is also soliciting comments on its website.

Councilor Sweetie Marbury is urging the public to participate because so many people seemed to feel left out of the process after the Arc of History, which was purchased and placed, accompanied with much public derision, at U.S. highways 550 and 160.

“Apparently, people didn’t participate in the process or didn’t know about the process,” she said.

After the public weighs in, nine people will make a final decision.

The selection committee includes three members from the city’s art commission, an arts professional, two members of the general public, a representative from Ecosphere and a member of the city’s Parks and Recreation Advisory Board. The final decision is not made by the Durango City Council, although Marbury does appreciate and support public art.

“I think public art makes a city a grander place to walk and live in. It makes your heart happy,” she said.

The city is buying the pieces because it is discontinuing its art-on-loan program. The program was meant to be a partnership between the city and artists. It gave artists a space to sell the work, and in return, the city would receive a commission. It’s a good theory, but it isn’t working, Dugdale said.

“We don’t accomplish that goal of selling that piece,” she said.

After the commission selects the pieces, it is moving on to some maintenance projects and selecting a student-produced art project that will be displayed in front of the Carnegie Building on East Second Avenue. The city’s current art collection is valued at $1.2 million.

mshinn@durangoherald.com