Roundabout Sculpture Artist Selected

The Gateway Art Project Committee and Duluth Mayor Nancy Harris announced the winner of the design competition for a sculpture to be installed in the Duluth Roundabout, but the design is being kept a secret probably until its unveiling.

Artist/blacksmith Michael Dillon, owner of Dillon Forge in Milton, GA, was named the winner.

The committee’s decision followed interviews with the three finalists and presentation of mock-ups of their proposed projects Feb. 19. Dillon has been creating works of art for 20 years, according to the city’s March 1 announcement.

Eighty-five letters of interest in the competition initially were submitted by artists from all over the country. The entries were reduced by the committee to 18 semifinalists, then to three finalists.

The permanent piece of original art was designed to be installed in the center of the newly constructed roundabout located at the intersections of West Lawrenceville Street, McClure Bridge Road and Irvindale Road. This is considered a “gateway” into downtown Duluth.

The Hospital Connector is planned to connect to the roundabout in the future.

Duluth-based AGCO Corporation, a leading global manufacturer of agricultural equipment and a Fortune 500 Company, donated $100,000 for the art.

“We are so excited about this gateway art piece and so thankful to AGCO for making this possible,” Mayor Harris said in the announcement. “Public/private partnerships are so important to our city.”

According to the GAP Committee’s timeline, a contract with Dillon to create and install the sculpture is scheduled to be presented to the Duluth City Council for approval March 11. The contract would include a schedule for installation of the sculpture.

GAPC was formed by Harris in January 2012 to plan and implement the process of selecting a site-specific piece or pieces of public art for the center of the roundabout to welcome citizens and visitors to the city.

The committee has about 20 members including artists, art professionals, city officials, an AGCO representative, and others.

The Duluth City Council is also expected to soon make a decision on forming a permanent Duluth Public Art Commission (DPAC) to cultivate the arts throughout the city. The council reviewed a document containing revised commission guidelines at its Feb. 25 work session and placed the item on the agenda for its regular March 11 meeting.

At that work session, the council directed City Planning Director James Riker to explore the procedure for Gwinnett County to return the ownership/maintenance of West Lawrenceville Street and McClure Bridge Road to the city. Management and possible ownership of the roadways was transferred to the county as part of the Service Delivery Strategy settlement.

During a recent meeting with Gwinnett County representatives, city staff were told the county had reservations about placing the art in the roundabout because of possible liability issues.

City staff was aware of the potential problem, Harris said, “but they [the county] wouldn’t give us any answer until they saw what we might put there.”

Dusty Graham, who lives near the roundabout, appeared before the council and asked it not to reacquire responsibility for maintenance of the roads because it would add cost to the art project.

The roads are right in the heart of downtown Duluth, Councilwoman Marsha Bomar said. “For us not to have full control doesn’t make sense.” The city probably would have to maintain them anyway, she added, because the county has “a lot of roads on its plate” and a shortage of funds.

Both roads have recently been improved and were not expected to require much maintenance in the near future.