Monumental Task
Three
finalists chosen
in sculpture contest
Designs
will be displayed
and voted on by the public
By
Don Ward
Editor
(March 2012) – The Madison Riverfront Development
Corp. has selected three finalists in its search for a sculpture design
for an artistic piece to be built along the Madison, Ind., riverfront.
Brian Martin, 40, of Madison; David Kirby Bellamy, 55, of Knightstown,
Ind.; and Adam McIntyre, 38 of La Grange, Ky., are the finalists. Their
sculpture designs were chosen from a total of 12 submissions during
a call for competition entries that ended Feb. 1.
The committee plans to unveil the three designs and their creators at
a March 3 luncheon for the arts community. The winning submission will
be used as a blueprint for building the actual sculpture on the riverfront.
Each finalist has earned $1,000 apiece in prize money to be used to
build a maquette (a working model) of their designs. The prize money
was provided by a grant from the Community Foundation of Madison and
Jefferson County and the Madison Bicentennial Legacy fund.
Maquettes are due May 15 and will be displayed at various events, festivals
and locations throughout the year, according to Jan Vetrhus, the Madison
Bicentennial chairwoman who is heading the competition for the Riverfront
Development Corp. The public will have the opportunity to vote on its
favorite design throughout this year.
“We haven’t finalized all the details for voting,” Vetrhus
said. “We may do some fundraising with it, such as charging $1
a vote or maybe have penny votes at the schools. We hope to have lots
of public input and interaction with the artists. We will be organizing
receptions for the artists as their schedules permit.”
The final selection will not be made until the end of the year and will
include the public input, the selection committee, the Riverfront Development
Corp. and the city parks and maintenance departments.
“The final sculpture will not be built until funds are raised through
grants and private funding,” Vetrhus said. “Our hope is that
public art will become a way of life in Madison, and we will continue
to have competitions.
The competition asked entrants to submit designs that would remind folks
of the city’s river history by providing an interactive sculpture
that would be created along the riverfront.
“The final design chosen will be something that people can ride
or touch or climb. It will be fun and unique, something people will
enjoy for generations,” said Louann Waller of the Riverfront Development
Corp.
Collaboration between artists and engineers was encouraged. Public safety,
durability and low maintenance were emphasized. Materials used were
to be able to withstand heat, cold, rain, snow, occasional flooding
and be resistant to vandalism. The selected design’s permanent
installation is planned for the corner of West Street and Vaughn Drive.
This is the first piece of public art to come from suggestions for the
Bicentennial Legacy gift.
Martin’s design features a roof caught in a tree with concrete
cell and waterfall set in curved retaining walls, seating and ramps
to mirror Bicentennial Park.
It would be comprised of steel, concrete, pavers, cedar timber, cedar
shingles, hard siding and split-face blocks.
Kirby’s design features a paddlewheeler held up to flood height
by two columns of water. It would be comprised of aluminum, stainless
steel, bronze, concrete with structural steel.
McIntyre’s design features a water fountain controlled by handprints
to various flood heights, with Madison history illuminated as water
splashes on it. It would be comprised of stainless steel, high performance
translucent resins, poured concrete pad with special finish.