Alamosa selects next ArtScape pieces

ALAMOSA — Art selected this week to grace Alamosa’s downtown area through the second annual ArtScape will range from welded aluminum and steel to bronze and glass in shapes from rocket ships and cellos to goats and polar bears.

The Alamosa city council on Wednesday approved the art committee’s recommendation for 20 pieces for the 2018 ArtScape. Alamosa City Manager Heather Brooks said the initial public art program was very successful. She said she enjoys watching people pose for selfies with the various art pieces around town.

The art committee selected 20 out of 58 submissions this year. Of those, 15 will be displayed with the others as back up pieces in the event something happens to take one of the other pieces out of the exhibit.

In addition to the 15 new pieces, two of the 2017 art pieces will remain on display, Brooks explained, as will the artwork purchased by the city from among last year’s entries, El Pastor. So there will be 18 total pieces on display in the 2018 public art exhibit.

The new pieces will be installed on September 7 as part of a weekend celebrating art, Brooks explained.

She added that the art committee wants the ArtScape to be sustainable so is inviting the community to become sponsors of the annual event. Five visionary sponsors at the $2,000 level will have a say in where art is placed in the community. Ten creative sponsorships are also available at a $750 level. Sponsors will be recognized in promotional materials.

The top sculptures approved by the city council this week are:

• Trouvaille, steel and glass, 84x22x2”, Alamosa artist

• Wings of Freedom, bronze with steel base, 7x19x14”, Santa Fe artist

• Light Hearted Drummer, hand forged steel, 97x25x11”, Monument artist

• Old Goat, bronze, 22x24x12”, San Luis artist

• Barley Dance, carved limestone, 44x12x7”, Loveland artist

• Cello, epoxy, resin, Kevlar, 56x41x29”, Columbus, Ohio artist

• Acoustic Guitar, steel, 10’6”x4’x8’, Lawton, Oklahoma artist

• Thought of a Treble Clef, steel and fiberglass, 120x24x34”, Henderson, Nevada artist

• Sandhill Cranes, repurposed objects and metal, three cranes, one winged, one standing and one feeding, Castle Rock artist

• Deciduous, concrete and glass, 54x22.5x22.5”, Alamosa artist

• Low-Poly Open Heart (Ride), hydro-cut welded aluminum diamond plate, tractor paint, 5x5x2.5’, Washington D.C. artist

• Mountain Spell, steel, 144x82x46”, Evergreen artist

• The Deluxe Spray-It Fire Rocketship, found object assemblage, barrel, fire hose nozzle, fireman trophy, sprayers and sprinklers, truck rim, 6x8x2.5’, Salida artist

• Tower, durable glazed stoneware and welded steel, 8x3x3’, Las Cruces, N.M. artist

• Cultural Pedestrians, concrete and steel, 72x7x6”, Boulder artist

• Humanity, bronze, 22x36x3”, Grand Junction artist

• Polar Bears, bronze and stainless steel, 4x10x2’, San Luis artist

• Zia, cast iron, 24x19x6”, Alamosa artist

• Three Golden Flowers, steel, 71x42x40”, Pine artist

• Descending Angel, bronze and wood, 26x18x8”, Cedaredge artist

Caption: Polar Bears