{"id":47069,"date":"2021-04-30T09:17:45","date_gmt":"2021-04-30T15:17:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/durangos-biggest-public-art-piece-scheduled-for-installation\/"},"modified":"2021-04-30T15:17:45","modified_gmt":"2021-04-30T15:17:45","slug":"durangos-biggest-public-art-piece-scheduled-for-installation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/durangos-biggest-public-art-piece-scheduled-for-installation\/","title":{"rendered":"Durango\u2019s biggest public art piece scheduled for installation"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\"Durango\u2019s
Durango\u2019s gateway public art piece, \u201cCommon Threads,\u201d will be installed in May after two years of delay.<\/span>Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald file<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

After years of waiting, Durango\u2019s gateway art installation, \u201cCommon Threads,\u201d is about to become a reality.<\/p>\n

In 2018, Durango residents voted by survey to place the public art piece, made up of large, laser-cut metal panels, at the most highly traveled intersection in Durango, the U.S. Highway 550\/160 interchange near the DoubleTree Hotel.<\/p>\n

It is the same intersection where in 2014 the ill-fated Arc of History was installed, a $28,000 sculpture that received mixed reviews and became a favorite target for midnight pranksters who adorned the \u201crock-kabob\u201d with dinosaur and dragon heads, among other decorations, before it was vandalized beyond repair in 2015.<\/p>\n

The \u201cCommon Threads\u201d installation was delayed when grant funding fell through and the COVID-19 pandemic hit.<\/p>\n

Now, it will be installed by the end of May, said Alex Rugoff, business development coordinator for the city of Durango.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s really exciting. It\u2019s a really great community project with local artists, students, 400 residents, six schools that all contributed,\u201d Rugoff said. \u201cIt\u2019s the gateway piece coming into (downtown) Durango.\u201d<\/p>\n

The final installation, created by Durango artists Allison Leigh Smith and Bryce Pettit, will include 20 steel panels. The artists held more than 25 meetings and spoke to hundreds of community members to get public input about the panel designs.<\/p>\n

\"In
In 2018, residents selected &#x201c;Common Threads,&#x201d; a concept by Durango artists Allison Leigh Smith and Bryce Pettit, for the U.S. Highway 550\/160 intersection. The selection was done through an online survey. The new piece will feature 20 panels with textile-like designs.<\/span>Courtesy of city of Durango<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Cut outs depicting bears, birds, mountains, the Animas River and other mainstays of Southwest Colorado were included in the designs. The artists also incorporated designs and ideas from other artists in the community, including Sam Brigham, Durango\u2019s Lego bomber.<\/p>\n

The steel panels have been designed, cut and ready to install since 2019, when the project was delayed because of funding issues, Rugoff said.<\/p>\n

The panels were funded by a $25,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts and $25,000 in funding and in-kind contributions from the city.<\/p>\n

In late 2018, the city did not receive a second $25,000 matching grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. The project\u2019s budget was cut in half, leaving the artists thinking of ways to scale it back. Donations from Mark McWhirter with Pacific Metal Cutting helped preserve its scope.<\/p>\n

The city has issued a request for bids to find a contractor to assist with the installation. The bid is scheduled to close Monday. The installation will take seven to 10 days to complete and must be finished by May 31, when the grant funding expires, Rugoff said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is the big, major public art piece we\u2019ve done over the past two years,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019ll be coming together pretty soon.\u201d<\/p>\n

smullane@durangoherald.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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