Collinsville Mayor John Miller called a motion during the April 14 City Council meeting to discuss the City’s purchase of a flower sculpture for the pocket park at the corner of Illinois Route 159 and Clay Street. He received no response from the four City Council members.
Artist rendering of the wall, sculpture and backlit Collinsville sign that will be on the site formerly occupied by Bert’s Chuckwagon restaurant / Rendering courtesy of U-Studios Incorporated
“I’ll ask one more time,” Miller said.
He asked again for the topic to be discussed, and again the councilmembers sat stone faced. In theory, the City did not agree to purchase the sculpture, known as “Flos Fiore Collins” (roughly translated from Latin and Italian as blooming Collins flower). The matter was not discussed further at the meeting, nor in open session any time after, but the sculpture was installed on April 24 and 25, while the City Council was still considering what to do with the sculpture.
As it turns out, the motion on April 14 was just a formality. The Council approved a $20,000 allowance for the purchase of a sculpture at an Aug. 23, 2013 meeting as part of their approval of $423,940 for the construction of three pocket parks in uptown.
So, while the council members pondered their next move, C&H Lawn Service, the general contractor on the project, maintained their timeline for the pocket park on the former site of Bert’s Chuckwagon and installed the sculpture. City Manager Scott Williams sent an email to the Council members last week to let them know that the artwork they were still pondering was installed.
No City Council member who approved the project could be reached for comment after the installation. Councilperson Karen Woolard, who voted against the project in August, deferred from further comment.
After the April 14 meeting, Councilperson Nancy Moss said she did not like the sculpture when she first saw it.
“I didn’t think we were locked into this piece,” Moss said. “I don’t make a connection with it and Collinsville.”
At the Aug. 23, 2013 meeting, Moss asked about the design of the sculpture, if it was symbolic or representational. The artist, Gary Karasek of U-Studios Inc in Swansea, said the design was not final.
“Right now, what we’re proposing is an abstraction of a flower, a flower petal, and that’s up for review if you would all like,” Karasek said.
Moss then joked about the ability to change the design to a catsup bottle or horseradish, but the City Council gave no direction for changing the design, nor was a request made for another review. Absent any further direction, Karasek continued work and, through Uptown Coordinator Leah Joyce presented photos of the finished product as part of the Council members April 14 meeting agenda packet.
Council Michael Tognarelli was not impressed with the sculpture that had a final price tag of $18,225.
“I don’t remember seeing that artwork,” Tognarelli said following the April 14 meeting. “I don’t think it fits Collinsville. I want more research done on a different piece of artwork there.”
The item was on the April 14 agenda at the request of Karasek, as a formal handover of the work, Miller said. The Council’s inaction on the motion did not change the decision they made in August.
What the Council will decide to do with the sculpture now is unclear, but Miller said, taken as a whole, most will see the park as an improvement.
“When you look at what that corner looked like before, and what it looks like now, people will see it as an overall positive,” Miller said, referring to the site after Bert’s moved as part of the 159 construction project.
The abstract sculpture, described by Karasek as an abstraction of a flower, with five petals and three stamens, is made of stainless steel and polycarbonate plastic. Lights at the base project onto it at night and allow it to change colors, if desired, Miller said.
Tognarelli and Moss have voiced their displeasure with the look of the sculpture, while Joyce said she is happy with how it turned out. That others in town will also have conflicting opinions is a given, Miller said.
“Beauty is in the eye of the beholder,” Miller said. “You’re either going to like it, or you’re not going to like it.”
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