Above: Tom Christiansen talks about the process he used to build the colorful art piece that stands behind him. Left: Grand Marais Mayor Jay Arrowsmith DeCoux cuts the ribbon, held by Cook County High School student Sam Kern and Chris Magnusson, coordinator for the Arrowhead Library System Legacy Funds.
It doesn’t have an official name yet, and even its creator isn’t sure where the concept came from, but the 20-foot-tall sculpture in front of the Grand Marais Public library is already drawing rave reviews.
Noted sculptor Tom Christiansen told a large crowd on hand for the unveiling on June 5 that he couldn’t quite explain how he came up with the idea to build the colorful piece, but he noted that when he went to look at the grounds and library one gray winter day, he realized that whatever he was going to design had to add color to the area.
And so it does.
Christiansen said he couldn’t create a low piece that might be climbed on because it would take too much engineering, so he went with puzzle pieces that clamber on the pole like kids in colorful T-shirts looking over each other’s shoulders while trying to read a page from a book.
Members of the art board (formed by the Grand Marais Library Board) picked Christiansen’s concept last fall over 13 other entries and presented their pick to the library board, who agreed with the selection.
The entire sculpture weighs just over 200 pounds, Christiansen said. The pole and pieces are aluminum that have been welded together by Christensen and two other artists who helped with the project at his Last Chance Fabricating studio in Lutsen.
The puzzle pieces have been layered with five coats of different colored Rustoleum, which should weather well, he said.
Grand Marais Library Director Steve Harsin thanked about two dozen people who worked to make the project successful. After the event he laughed when he said he thought that the 24 chairs he put out on the lawn would be “more than enough” to accommodate the crowd.
Jim Weikum, director of the Arrowhead Library System, said the $11,000 awarded to Christiansen to build the piece came from Minnesota’s Legacy funds. Some of those funds are allocated to public libraries for events and public art works.
He also said the art piece and process selected in Grand Marais was different from the ones used in the other 27 other libraries in the Arrowhead region.
“All of the pieces are unique. They are all very different from each other,” said Weikum.
Before Grand Marais Mayor Jay Arrowsmith DeCoux cut the ceremonial ribbon he thanked those in attendance—around 75—and he said that the “Art on a Stick” which Christiansen’s piece has been temporarily named, reminded him of the effort his family, and many families and individuals have to go through when they move to Grand Marais and have to work out the puzzle of “how to make it work while making a living here.”
Grand Marais Library Board Member Sally Berg said the public had until July 3 to come up with a permanent name for Christiansen’s work. Selections must be brought into the library, said Berg.
She also said that a poetry walk was being planned that would go from the Highway 61 sidewalk up through the grass and skirt the pole as it wound its way to the library door. This will be a project hopefully completed later in the summer, said Berg, who hopes volunteers can be found to do much of the work.
“People seem very excited about the project,” said Harsin. “It was very, very heartwarming for me to see so many people come out for the event.”
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