Springboard, DNR AND PartnerSHIP 4 Health team up to create play sculpture on the Central Lakes State Trail
Minnesota artist Greg Mueller selected for project
An entrance to the Central Lakes State Trail in Fergus Falls will soon be home to a public art sculpture that will promote play for all ages, thanks to a unique partnership between Springboard for the Arts, the Department of Natural Resourcesand PartnerSHIP 4 Health. The sculpture is being created by Minnesota artist Greg Mueller, and is made possible through a $50,000 grant from the Minnesota Super Bowl Legacy Fund.
Initial ideas for the sculpture were generated by Fergus Falls youth in a series of Creative Placemaking workshops presented by Springboard for the Arts staff last spring. An open call then invited artists to apply to create a sculpture based on the drawings and sculptures the students designed. Greg Mueller, whose studio is based in Lutsen, MN and whose public art can be found all across the state, was selected for the project by a selection committee made up of Fergus Falls residents with backgrounds in the arts, recreation, health, tourism and city government.
The Central Lakes State Trail is a 55-mile bike trail that runs through the heart of West Central Minnesota from Osakis to Fergus Falls. The sculpture will be located at the new trailhead for the Central Lakes State Trail off of Highway 210 and 19th Street in Fergus Falls, and will complement other new trailhead amenities, including a parking lot, picnic area, and bike repair station.
“Working together we are accomplishing what no one group could do on their own,” says Shawn Donais, Area 1b Fergus Falls Supervisor for Parks and Trails. “This has been an exciting collaboration across the arts, health, environment and recreation, and the result will be a unique destination for trail users that promotes fun and play, celebrates the areas history and inspires interaction with the outdoors.”
Artist Mueller was inspired by the ideas for the project that Fergus Falls students expressed through drawings and clay sculptures. He noticed that a common theme in their art was the simple act of swinging. Based on these ideas, the sculpture portrays a set of elevated bicycle tires of an exaggerated scale acting as a sort of “tree canopy.” Suspended from the spokes of the tires are swings to encourage movement and play within the sculpture.
Connecting the two tree spaces is a pedestrian play-bridge that evokes qualities of a railroad-like structure to honor the original train traffic of the trail. Each “railroad tie” will acknowledge the 10 communities that make up the Central Lakes Trail.
Regarding his vision for the sculpture, which will be installed in early summer 2018, artist Mueller says, “Both public art and play feed the imagination. My intention is to create both an iconic marker to designate the significance of the Central Lakes State Trail while injecting a playful element of surprise and wonder for visitors.”
For more information, contact Michele Anderson, Rural Program Director, Springboard for the Arts at 218-998-4037 or michele@
About Springboard for the Arts
Springboard for the Arts is an economic and community development organization for artists and by artists, based in Saint Paul and Fergus Falls, MN. Springboard’s work is about building stronger communities, neighborhoods, and economies, and we believe that artists are an important leverage point in that work. Springboard for the Arts’ mission is to cultivate vibrant communities by connecting artists with the skills, information, and services they need to make a living and a life. Our programming focuses on supporting the work of artists through professional development, health, and legal resources, and creating systems and programs for communities to connect to the creative power of their artists. We share this work nationally via our Creative Exchange platform (www.springboardexchange.org) and by freely sharing our work and creating connections among artists and communities, we work to make substantial, system-wide change. For more information, visit www.springboardforthearts.org.
About Minnesota DNR Parks and Trails
Our vision is to create unforgettable park, trail, and water recreation experiences that inspire people to pass along the love for the outdoors to current and future generations.
About PartnerSHIP 4 Health
PartnerSHIP 4 Health is a collaboration of community and public health partners in Becker, Clay, Otter Tail and Wilkin counties working to prevent chronic disease through sustainable changes that increase physical activity, healthy eating and reduce tobacco use and exposure. PartnerSHIP 4 Health is at work with schools, worksites, communities, health care, child care and human service organizations.
About the Minnesota Super Bowl Legacy Fund
The Minnesota Super Bowl Legacy fund is the signature philanthropic initiative of Super Bowl LII. Its goal is to build a platform to build awareness and invest in solutions for a healthier generation of Minnesota kids.
