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As part of the redesign of Kennedy Park and an “art everywhere” initiative, the City of West St. Paul is considering proposed art benches. Three artists proposed 14 different art bench concepts.
Background: Earlier this year, the city put out a call for proposals, “seeking an artist with experience creating unique, creative, and weird art that sparks joy, makes people laugh, and celebrates a space.” Thanks to a grant from the AARP, the city has funds for the benches.
Selection process: The Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee will consider the proposals and rank their choices during their meeting on Tuesday, April 8 at 6 p.m.
The Art Bench Concepts
Three artists submitted their art bench conceptual designs with proposals that gave more background and context:
Michael Etoll
West St. Paul artist Michael Etoll proposed pop art concepts that incorporated humor and used a fiberglass creation process used to create the Peanuts characters seen around the Twin Cities. Etoll also included a nod to the park’s namesake, James Kennedy. See Etoll’s proposal (PDF).
Jim and Ryan Pedersen
The father/son team of Jim and Ryan Pedersen work in metal and proposed a series of different concepts and pointed to existing work in Mankato, Eagan, Hastings, and more. See Pedersen’s proposal (PDF) Note: City staff said the flower pedal design didn’t meet specifications and would need to be modified.
Craig Snyder
Plymouth artist Craig Snyder offered two proposals that draw on the park’s design, one that evokes the idea of a sled to be near the sledding hill and the other the idea of a nest to be located in prairie grass. See Snyder’s proposal (PDF).
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