To: Members of the Public Art Commission
From: Maia Aman, Town Liaison
Title
Discussion/Direction: Tree Stump Project for Festival Park
Body
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Executive Summary
At the April meeting, the Commission directed that reviewing a previously discussed tree stump project in Festival Park be placed on its May agenda.
Last summer, Parks and Recreation Director Jeff Brauer approached staff member Kristin Zagurski with an idea for a potential public art project. There remains in the redesigned Festival Park one tree stump that could be carved into a public art piece.
The Commission had a brief initial discussion about the idea at its June meeting and directed Zagurski to invite Brauer to the July 2018 meeting. After discussing the opportunity with Brauer, the Commission decided to perform further research regarding the project’s potential cost to assess if it is worth pursuing.
Given Red Hawk Ridge staff member Bill LaFleur’s experience carving trees, he assessed the stump at Festival Park to provide feedback on its potential as a carved art piece. The stump’s narrowness could limit its possibilities of expression; however, the stump’s top section could also be removed to provide an artist more width if necessary.
LaFleur expressed concern over the fact that the stump is still rooted in the ground. LaFleur projected that a carving of this nature may last up to 10 years, but it has the potential to deteriorate due to the fact that it is rooted. Free standing sculptures are treated every-other year to maintain appearance and protect their surface. It would be possible to treat a rooted stump sculpture, but added maintenance and labor costs could occur if/when deterioration takes place.
Potential ideas LaFleur offered given the stump’s shape and size included carving a message or information pertaining to Festival Park or Castle Rock’s history, a train locomotive traveling upward, and a fish due to its adjacency to Sellars Gulch.
The cost of a stump carving is significantly contingent on the overall intricacy of a given design. Based on the stump’s size, the project could cost anywhere from $1,500 to over $6,000, depending on the detail and amount of time required by the artist. Logistically, if the top part of the stump is carved, an artist may require scaffolding or a ladder to complete the work.
As a reminder to the Commission, Director Brauer shared at the July 2018 meeting that a funding partnership between his department and the Commission was possible for this project.
Recommendation
Staff recommends that the Commission discuss this potential project and provide staff any resulting direction.