About a month from now, St. Helena will be dotted with new public art pieces.
In a bid to enrich community spaces, the city has taken on loan 11 sculptures by prominent local artist Gordon Huether to display around town. The pieces will be located along Main Street, at St. Helena City Hall, near the St. Helena Public Library and at the corner of Signorelli Circle and Chiles Avenue.
“Public art has the power to inspire and engage communities, foster conversation, or simply offer a moment of joy,” Huether said. “I grew up in St. Helena and have worked on projects throughout the Napa Valley and around the world. I hope that bringing this art to St. Helena will help the city continue to develop its art scene.”
With strong support from the City Council at a Feb. 10 meeting, city staff will soon begin the installation of concrete pads to underpin the artwork, followed by positioning of the pieces themselves, likely in March.
The pieces, which include “Hand of the Land,” “Reflections” and “Barrel Rings,” amount to about $400,000 in sculpture, Huether said in a video screened at the Feb. 10 council meeting. The pieces are being loaned to the city free of cost.
The total cost of installation will be less than $10,000, a staff report said. The city is also creating a sponsor program through which community members, businesses and civic organizations can help defray the installation cost for a sculpture and be featured on a plaque at the site.
The art pieces and their locations will soon be available through a St. Helena Art Walk feature on the city’s website.
“Bringing color and joy into our public spaces will allow us to highlight the creativity and history that define St. Helena, especially now as we celebrate the 150th anniversary of our city’s incorporation,” Mayor Paul Dohring said in a statement.
To commemorate the city’s 150th anniversary on March 24, a series of events – including a block party and a parade – have been planned through the year.
