When Loveland’s Willow Bend Park and Natural Area opened last June, Brian Dowling didn’t think it could get any better. But he changed his mind Thursday, when the city’s Art in Public Places program unveiled Native Creatures, a series of whimsical animal sculptures created by artist Daniel Hornung.
“It’s like the crown jewel on top that just brings the whole park together,” he said of three colorful additions to the Willow Bend property. “And it makes it — just Loveland.”
Dowling, chair of the city’s Parks and Recreation Commission, was one of around two dozen city staff, elected officials and board members at a dedication for the newly installed sculptures, which include a vivid red fox, a pair of mischievous black-tailed prairie dogs and a line of Merriam’s turkeys that capture a scene common in the area.
“There have always been turkeys on the site, and if anything, they’ve tripled since the park was built,” Bryan Harding, interim deputy director of Loveland Parks and Recreation, told the gathering. “And these turkeys tend to walk downtown. …If you travel First Street in the morning, you’re stuck in a turkey traffic jam.”
That scene stuck with Hornung.
A sculpture featuring a trio of Merriam’s turkeys is pictured Thursday at Willow Bend Park and Natural Area in Loveland. The piece is part of Native Creatures, a public art series by artist Daniel Hornung inspired by the turkeys that often roam the site and sometimes even stop traffic nearby. (Jocelyn Rowley/Loveland Reporter-Herald)
“I thought that should be immortalized,” he said.
Willow Bend Park and Natural Area sits on 163 acres in southeast Loveland, stretching between First Street and the Big Thompson River. When it opened, it became the city’s first all-inclusive park, with an accessible playground and other features designed for visitors of varying abilities and their caregivers.
The sculptures, fabricated from weathering steel and built to withstand the elements, were selected through a competitive national process, with Hornung, based in Tucson, Ariz., chosen from a pool of finalists.
He said the idea behind Native Creatures centered on creating pieces that were both visually striking and approachable, reflecting the park’s natural setting while inviting interaction.
“The concept was critters,” Hornung said. “We wanted to tie in the natural surroundings — just make things that are big and fun and stylish.”
That approach extended beyond aesthetics. Knowing the park was designed as an inclusive space, Hornung said he gave particular thought to how visitors of different abilities might experience the work.
“I think that’s a big part of the prairie dogs,” he said, describing a slightly more secluded arrangement of the sculptures. “There’s kind of an area back there for kids who may get overstimulated. It’s a place where they can still be part of what’s going on.”
The $55,000 installation was funded through the city’s Art in Public Places program, with additional support from the Parks and Recreation and Open Lands divisions.
That collaboration carried through the selection process, Dowling said, especially when it came to the prairie dogs, which sparked debate early on.
“It was just so awesome, because there were so many different points of view,” he said. “Especially the parks guys — we all said prairie dogs don’t have a great reputation.”
But, he said, artists and arts advocates pushed the conversation in a different direction.
“They brought up such a great point,” Dowling said. “Kids don’t think that way. Kids want the whimsy. They want to smile when they see that.”
He paused, reflecting on the finished piece.
“And walking up to a 5-foot-6-inch prairie dog will make anyone smile.”
Loveland Mayor Pat McFall, left, and City Council member Geoff Frahm view a fox sculpture Thursday at Willow Bend Park and Natural Area in Loveland. The piece is part of Native Creatures, a new public art installation by artist Daniel Hornung. (Jocelyn Rowley/Loveland Reporter-Herald)
