City’s newest art piece
On May 21, 2014 at 10:30 a.m. the City of St. Johns held a ceremony to unveil their newest art sculpture. The art piece is approximately 12 feet tall and is installed in Rotary Park on Railroad Street near the historic depot.
The art installation was made possible through a grant from the Lansing Economic Area Partnership (LEAP) Public Art for Communities program. Other tri-county areas that have received a grant through this program include DeWitt Township, Meridian Township, City of Mason and City of DeWitt.
“The City of St. Johns is the gateway into our region. It is a great example of a community that is embracing arts and culture when it comes to business development,” said Bob Trezise, President and CEO of LEAP. “This new sculpture adds to the vibrancy of the downtown and we were happy to support the project.”
City of St. Johns Manager, Dennis LaForest, welcomed guests and thanked those involved in the project including LEAP, the City Art Committee members and the artist, Tim Higgins. Laforest also thanked the St. Johns PSD/DDA for their efforts in retaining the hometown quality of downtown St. Johns and success for businesses in the community.
The artist, Tim Higgins, is a freelance artist from Elsie, MI. He is experienced in creating art with various metals, wood and leather. His proposal was chosen by the City Art Committee out of five artists that submitted various project ideas. Higgins also recently created the art piece that is on display in Meridian Township through their LEAP grant. In creating this sculpture Higgins wanted the piece to be something that would catch the eye and make people want to come take a closer look.
The dedication committee included April Wilson, Timothy Higgins, Bob Trezise, Jenny Mccambell, Heather Hanover, Dennis Laforest, Bill Brewbaker, Bob Craig and Gordon Shipley.
The finished work entitled Opolis does just that. Standing at approximately 12 feet tall and 5 feet wide the stainless steel structure easily catches your eye as you walk or drive by. Affixed into the main part of the piece is a rotary cog with a medallion in the center depicting the front of a train locomotive, creating a tie to history of the railroad in St. Johns. Around the brick base of the sculpture is a unique iron railing that is made to resemble railroad track rails, between the rails are iron figures hand made out of railroad spikes. The four sides each depict a different theme to tie into the history of the area and as well as current events.
The City of St. Johns would like to thank LEAP for their commitment to the placemaking efforts of local communities through their Public Art for Communities grant program. We are confident that this art piece will be enjoyed by visitors and the citizens of St. Johns for many years to come.
