Art for all
Photo courtesy city of Coeur d'Alene “Selkirk Mountains Monarch” by Jason Paul is one of the five pieces proposed for the city's ArtCurrents program.
“Pinecone” by Holly Burk is one of the pieces proposed for the city of Coeur d'Alene's ArtCurrents program.
“Blue Spire” by Gerry Newcomb is proposed for the city of Coeur d'Alene's ArtCurrents program.
“Dragonfly” by Holly Burk is proposed for Coeur d'Alene's ArtCurrents program.
“Here After” by Robert Turriff will be considered by the Coeur d'Alene City Council for the ArtCurrents progam.
COEUR d’ALENE — The Coeur d’Alene Arts Commission has settled on five new sculptures it is proposing for the ArtCurrents program. Two can be had for as little as $2,000.
Next, it’s up to the City Council.
Arts Commission Chair Mary Lee Ryba said the pieces are fun, creative and capture the spirit of he Northwest.
“We didn’t pick the pieces by the price,” she said. “We picked the pieces by the quality of the art.”
It's unlikely there will be a repeat of last year, when a clenched-fist sculpture named “Solidarity” by Rick Davis was approved for ArtCurrents by the Arts Commission but was met with public protest. The council later voted 5-1 to leave it out and said it could be offensive to veterans.
This year’s pieces — an elk, a dragonfly and a pine cone — steer clear of controversy. Ryba said they are meant to inspire and enhance Coeur d'Alene's art displays.
While ArtCurrents creates exposure for artists and helps market their work, a goal is “enrich the beauty of the city,” Ryba said.
ArtCurrents is a public art placement program through which the city leases pieces of art for use in downtown Coeur d'Alene and the Riverstone area.
Artists submit applications for placement of their sculptures for one year, with an option to renew for a second year. The selected artists are paid a stipend of $1,000 for the first year and $1,000 the second year.
The displayed works are offered for sale, with the city receiving a 25% commission.
Ryba said the Arts Commission set a maximum selling price for each piece at $15,000 to make the art accessible to more people.
Two have an asking price of just $2,000.
A current ArtCurrents piece, "Gaia" by Dale Young at Atlas Waterfront Park, has a price tag of $40,000, while "Reins" by Francis Cox is $25,000.
An elk sculpture on Sherman Avenue, "Responding to a Rival” by Jason Paul, recently sold.
The five ArtCurrents sculptures the Arts Commission is recommending to the City Council are on display from Oct. 1 to Sept. 30, 2024, with an option to renew for another year area.
They are:
“Selkirk Mountains Monarch” by Jason Paul, $15,000. He said the piece was inspired “by one of the most regal symbols within North America, the majestic Rocky Mountain Elk. The life-size scale replica stands about 8 feet high.
“Dragonfly” by Holly Burk, $2,000. Burk grew up in Rathdrum. The sculpture is about 5 feet tall. The wings are a delicate mosaic pattern. The body is a vintage cast iron water spout handle. It's welded and brazed for additional strength.
“Here After” by Robert Turriff, $12,000. The proposed sculpture is a 7-foot-tall frog skeleton made from welded rods and forged steel balls. It symbolizes environmental sustainability.
“Pinecone” by Holly Burk $2,000. “We feel this statue is succinct representation of our childhood in the forest,” wrote Burk.
“Blue Spire” Artist: Gerry Newcomb, $4,500. “By marrying the steel with the glass, I’m using it in a more plastic way so it seems to become a fluid material and the two materials work closely together. I want the glass to look as ‘structural’ as the steel.”
