Batavia committee approves bigger art award

The Batavia City Services Committee is recommending the city pay more for a second sculpture for the Wilson Street bridge.

The city council will likely vote June 21 on the recommendation to offer $30,000 for the sculpture.

The city had offered a $20,000 commission for the piece, which is to depict Batavia’s history. Of the three artists who entered the contest initially, two of their pieces weren’t original, and the third was by an artist who has no experience with public sculpture.

City administrator Bill McGrath consulted local sculptors and the owner of a foundry about the lack of interest. They told him it was likely because of the price of metal, particularly bronze, which would be used for the artwork. A $20,000 prize would probably only cover the cost of materials, not the artist’s design and labor time, he said.

The bridge has pedestals for four sculptures. The first, “Nature: Sounds of Harmony,” was installed in 2008.

The money comes from a fund supported by property taxes from a tax-increment financing district in the downtown, dedicated to improving the downtown.