The Madison CitiARTS commission plans expanding art to Madison's borders to let people know when they have entered the city, according to CitiARTS Administrator Rebecca Kasemeyer.
CitiARTS will begin this spring by building a $10,000 sculpture titled \Gateway"" at the intersection of Broadway and Bridge roads between south Madison and Monona.
""Gateway"" might be only the beginning of a series of such sculptures. CitiARTS and the Madison City Council have discussed a framework for building multiple 'entryway' sculptures into Madison as opportunities to do so arise, Kasemeyer said.
The opportunity to build ""Gateway"" at the Madison-Monona border arose when the city decided to do some construction and landscaping in the area, Kasemeyer said. CitiARTS has also considered building an 'entryway' sculpture on Park Street, she said.
""Gateway,"" which will stand on the north corner of the Broadway and Bridge Road intersection, resembles a ribbon, Kasemeyer said. Milwaukee artist Stephen Fisher designed ""Gateway"" and will assemble it using a low-alloy steel that ranges in color from rust-red to shiny blue-black, depending on the climate that it is exposed to.
South-side residents that have seen the ""Gateway"" design have responded enthusiastically but are concerned that the sculpture may be too small, according to CitiARTS council member Scott Thornton. The sculpture is designed to be 8 feet tall and 12 feet wide. Some of the residents worry that at that size children might endanger themselves by climbing the sculpture like a piece of playground equipment, Kasemeyer said.
CitiARTS, however, cannot build ""Gateway"" bigger without additional funds.
""Ten thousand dollars is a modest amount for a public arts project,"" Kasemeyer said.
CitiARTS has decided to give neighborhood residents the opportunity to raise private funds to make ""Gateway"" bigger but will otherwise go ahead with the original design dimensions.
