Riverfront park sculpture announcement planned Thursday
Fort Wayne park board also will discuss the future of existing buildings on the riverfront park site.
The sculpture that will be a "visual anchor" at the new Promenade Park on Fort Wayne's downtown riverfront will be announced during the Fort Wayne Parks and Recreation Department's board of park commissioners meeting Thursday in Room 30 at Citizens Square, 200 E. Berry St.
The public meeting will begin immediately after a closed-door executive session starting at 10 a.m. Thursday in the same room. Indiana law allows government bodies to meet in executive session to discuss — but not take action on — certain issues, such as personnel matters and the purchase or lease of real estate.
A committee of art experts and community members previously was asked to select the winning sculpture from among five finalists. The committee will reveal its recommendation during the park board's public meeting. The park board then must approve the contract with the artist to allow the project to move forward.
Five nationally known artists were invited to submit design proposals. The artists and their proposed sculptures are:
- Cary Shafer of Fort Wayne, Bridges
- Osman Akan of Brooklyn, N.Y., Flow
- Michael A. Dunbar of Springfield, Ill., All Along the Watch Tower
- Linda Howard of Bradenton, Fla., Convergence — The Flow of Three Rivers
- Nathan S. Pierce of Cape Girardeau, Mo., Embrace
The sculpture and installation work will be paid for with a $100,000 donation from the Waterfield Foundation, via Community Foundation of Greater Fort Wayne, and a $50,000 matching grant from Lily Endowment for a combined total of $150,000, the parks department announced previously.
The executive session will focus on property located in the Promenade Park development area, which includes the north and south sides of the St. Marys River between Harrison Street and the Historic Wells Street Bridge.
"We are exploring opportunities for use/relocation of the buildings on the property prior to scheduled demolition slated for September," said Natalie Eggeman, parks department public information officer.
The matter also will be discussed and possibly acted on during the park board's public meeting.
