The colorful sculpture in front of the Grand Marais Library now has a name. The library Art Committee chose a name that was submitted by six different people, The Puzzle Tree.
It’s new, it’s tall and it’s colorful, but what is it?
That was the question of the day when local artist Tom Christiansen presented his artwork to a lawn full of guests at the Grand Marais Library on June 1 at an unveiling ceremony.
An Art Committee comprised of members of the Grand Marais Library Board, library staff and members of the public selected Christiansen, who owns Last Chance Fabricating in Lutsen, over 13 other artists. The work was commissioned in the fall of 2014 and was funded through the Legacy Amendment allocations made to the Arrowhead Library System, the regional coordinating body for public libraries in northeastern Minnesota.
When Christiansen was asked to title the piece, he said he didn’t know what to call it, so a naming contest was held. Of the many names suggested, six people thought the work should be called Puzzle Tree.
The name is in keeping with Grand Marais Mayor Jay Arrowsmith DeCoux’s words at the unveiling, noting that the sculpture 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 living here.”
The Art Committee reviewed the name and the library board accepted it.
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