Council selects second sculpture for downtown bridge
“A Look Back” will be the second sculpture to grace Batavia’s Wilson Street bridge.
The city council chose the work by artists Oscar Leon and Jessica LoPresti Monday night. The sculpture, to be made of limestone, glass and bronze, will be more than 7 feet tall, and depict the history of the city from the time limestone was forming, through the arrival of the Fox River, into when American Indians lived here and then in to hits heyday as a windmill manufacturing town.
Aldermen Robert Liva, Dawn Tenuta, Lucy Thelin Atac and Susan Stark voted against the purchase. Alderman Dan Chanzit abstained, because one of the artists being considered is a client of the bank for which he works. Alderman Garran Sparks was absent, due to a death in his family.
The aldermen picked from among five finalists, ranking their choices from 1 (top choice) to 5. “A Look Back” was 10 points ahead of the second choice, said Alderman Jim Volk, chairman of the city services committee, which oversaw the sculpture competition.
Models of the finalists were on display at city hall for the public to review and rank. Only 40 people chose to cast ballots.
Leon and LoPresti are studio artists for The Fine Art Studio of Rotblatt-Amrany, which is in Highwood.
Property taxes set aside from a downtown tax-increment financing district, intended to be used to improve the downtown, are being used to pay the $30,000 commission.
A date has not been set for installation.
The bridge, finished in 2008, has pedestals for four sculptures. “Nature: Sounds of Harmony” was installed in 2008. City officials held off on installing sculptures in 2009 and 2010, feeling purchasing art would be inappropriate during the economic downturn. In 2011, it solicited sculptures, but the $22,500 commission offered drew only three entries.