LIFEST Y LES AN ADVERTISING SECTION OF EVERGREEN NEWSPAPERS | VOL. 13 ISSUE 6 • JUNE 2021
Evergreen Sculpture Walk gets back in step
Red Rover
Light Hearted Drummer
By Stephen Knapp For Mountain Homes & Lifestyles
All across town, June 5 was a day of fond partings and warm welcomes as the dedicated volunteers of Sculpture Evergreen bade farewell to some lovely old friends and opened the outdoors to some precious new ones. The dearly departing were sculptures of the nonprofit’s 2019-2020 Sculpture Walk, a diverse cast of creations that had its Evergreen residency unexpectedly extended into 2021. The esteemed incoming are 10 exquisite works of metal, wood, stone, and glass that have been patiently awaiting their place in the sun since last Spring. “We are grateful to the 2019-2020 Sculpture Walk artists, all of whom were willing to leave their sculptures in place for an extra year as we struggled through the challenges of COVID,” says Sculpture Evergreen president Tricia Rosenthal. “And nearly all of the artists whose work was to have come to Evergreen in 2020 agreed to postpone their installations until this year, so they also have our sincere thanks.” Fresh faces in Sculpture Evergreen’s beloved gallery al fresco include select works by artists from across the West and the rest. Pedestrians on Main Street will delight to make acquaintance with “Hamish MacSmug”, a genteel goat-about-town elegantly crafted by Susan Norris of Cimarron, NM. Neighbors conducting business at the Evergreen Post Office will be blown away by “Wind Swept,” a graceful gale of aluminum power line strung to life by Nevada sculptor Barry Ferich. Greeting guests to the Center for the Arts Evergreen, “Thoughtful Minds” of-
Wind Swept
FEATURE
OF THE MONTH fers a cordially cubist countenance courtesy of Berthoud, CO, artist Charlotte Zink. A reception held June 4 at Buchanan Recreation Center gave Sculpture Evergreen a chance to thank the participating artists, and to recognize 2019 works of special distinction. This year’s People’s Choice Award went to “Bugling Elk” by Michigan wire artist Jeff Best, andSara D’Alessandro was chosen to receive the Barbara Sternberg Award of Excellence for her sculpture “Compeers.”It was also announced that – by very popular demand – “Bugling Elk” will remain at its post on Meadow Drive for another year, and local artist PatiStajcar’s soaring “Red Rover” will be held over for an unprecedented fourth year at Lakepoint Center. “The Sculpture Walk supports artists from Colorado and elsewhere, and it attracts visitors and residents to outdoor spaces,” Rosenthal explains. “The sculptures are fun, thought-provoking, inspirational, and educational, and a feature that makes Evergreen unique.” Sculpture Evergreen’s public-spirited journey began in 1994, when longtime resident Barbara Sternberg founded Art for the Mountain Community with the twin goals of uplifting the community through public art and encouraging new generations of artists through art education. Five years later the nonprofit unveiled the Evergreen Sculpture Walk, a juried event that has grown in prestige and popularity for each of the last 22 years. And although
Happy Dance
the organization’s name has changed, it’s commitment to its community is carved in stone. “Like others, we have had to adapt and adjust to the unexpected twists and turns of this past year,” says Rosenthal. “We appreciate the flexibility and support of the many individuals and organizations that have enabled us to continue to bring sculpture to our community.” In fact, Sculpture Evergreen didn’t just keep moving forward in 2020, it actually picked up speed. New this year, a long-anticipated trail-side sculpture garden has sprouted up from the green grass of Bergen Park. Picnickers, pedalers and pram-pushers can take in “Monday” by Maureen Scott along with the fresh air, and contemplate Fort Collins sculptor James Moore’s expressive “Bountiful River” at their leisure. The installations were done in concert with Denver Mountain Parks, and Sculpture Evergreen has hopes that more works will soon follow the trail south into Buchanan Park. For all of the Sculpture Walk’s annual come and go, there are consistently more arrivals than departures. Sculptures especially prized by area residents are often invited to become a perpetual part of Evergreen’s cultural landscape, giving rise to an artistic archipelago that’s come to encompass such much-loved monuments as playfully monolithic “Spirits of the Land” at Evergreen Lake, to serenely sipping “Morning Spirits” on Main Street, to Mesozoic masterpiece “Bob the Dinosaur” at Stagecoach Park. And despite 2020’s discouraging social climate, generous and unflagging community support
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