Public Art
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COMMUNITY GROVE
Shots from Installation Day
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Four mixed-media sculptures – Peace, Comfort, Rest and Ease – form the Community Grove within the newly names Intertribal Community Park, located at Billings First Church in Billings, Montana. I designed this as an embracement, a protective space, much like the thickets that grow along the river, that form spaces for seeds to collect, for small animals and insects to build nests. A place for listening,, healing, justice, joy and an awakening to a world where we share our experiences and commonalities and develop a curiosity and respect for our differences.
The park is important to our urban communities, including our the indigenous members and is, itself, embraced by the church, its congregation and the many organizations housed within, which provide acceptance, generosity and nurturance. We focused on biodiversity and the healing potential of the native plants we placed in the gardens. Electrical outlets and public WiFi and the benches and tables and trees to come in our next development phase add to this grove, this park, as a place for us to where individuals may be woven into the community's collective whole. Thank you to Thom McLean and Big Sky Economic Development Agency for applying for and securing a grant from Montana AARP to support creation and installation of the sculptures and purchasing of native plants for the gardens. MORE INFORMATION HERE |
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THICKET
Photo by Mel Barbour
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•ubiquitous to our waterways •broken, nibbled willow and dogwood branches softened by wild clematis vine and connected by entwined roots •shelter for seeds, nests and small creatures • lush, precious weaving together of ideas, beliefs, cultures, children, families and vulnerable communities within a protective haven
Steel, copper 57x 45.5x 45.5 x 75 inches high Location: Southeast corner, North Broadway and 2nd Avenue North, Billings, MT Installed: June 7, 2019 Downtown Billings Alliance Public Art/Sculpture under the Skypoint Program "New sculpture installed under Skypoint in downtown Billings" by Mitch Lagge, KTVQ-TV, June 7, 2019 
Photo by Mel Barbour
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UNEARTHED
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78 x 26 x 21
steel, cedar, copper, shovels, steel & copper wire, findings, deck stain, enamel 2019 Installed: July 30, 2019 Corner Minnesota Avenue and 28th Street, Billings, MT Part of the Freedom Series
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