A public sculpture has been installed in the 2900 block of West Edgewood Drive, along the sidewalk down from the parking lot for the trail.
"Cultural Pedestrians" was awarded to City of Jefferson Cultural Arts Commission through Sculpture on the Move, a program provided by Creative Communities Alliance, based in St. Louis. Participating communities rent a sculpture for a two-year period, making it more affordable than purchasing the sculpture. It costs a community $1,000 a year to rent these pieces and after a two-year period, the community has the option of buying the piece to have it on permanent display.
This is the fourth year Jefferson City has participated in the program. Rental pieces have been installed at Riverside Park and at the corner of Capitol Avenue. Right now, the parks department budgets money to do one rental a year. The artists usually install the pieces themselves, but if they need help, parks staff can be made available.
"Public art helps with the mental health of the community and it's a great investment for any city," said Leann Porrello, cultural arts specialist with JC Parks. "Art can play an important roll to help highlight moments in the history of a community."
"Cultural Pedestrians" was created by Colorado artist Sue Quinlan. The sculpture is constructed from concrete and steel. Porrello said Quinlan's work explores how artifacts can help people connected with the universal human experience and explore its personal meaning. Her fusion of cultural icons illuminates the connection we all share, including our joys and struggles with ubiquitous events like birth, death and human relationships."
She said we can expect to see more of these pieces coming in the next few years as they try to find new areas to put them in.
"When I moved to Jefferson City, there wasn't a lot of public art, and I'm glad to see this grow," Porrello said.
City of Jefferson Cultural Arts Commission is a citizen volunteer commission that is charged with educating and promoting public awareness of the value of arts in the community. For more information about Cultural Arts Commission, visit jeffersoncitymo.gov/live_play/cultural_arts_commission.php/.