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Posted on Sat, Dec 11, 2010 : 5:59 a.m.

Ann Arbor artist Traven Pelletier sees his idea come to life in West Park sculptures

By Heather Lockwood

Traven Pelletier, self-proclaimed "environmental artist," says his love of nature and the arts was sparked by a childhood spent in Cape Cod.

"I grew up in a lot of nature — I grew up by the ocean, the sand dunes — and developed really early on that love of nature," said the Ann Arbor man, whose two, 11-foot-tall steel sculptures are now part of the landscape of West Park.

Traven-Pelletier.JPG

Traven Pelletier says he wanted to give a fun, playful feel to the sculptures he designed for West Park.

Angela J. Cesere | AnnArbor.com

Pelletier, co-owner of Lotus Gardenscapes Inc., said he applied for the job of creating art for the park after the Ann Arbor Public Art Commission put out a call for an area artist.

The project, with a $10,000 budget, was funded by Ann Arbor's percent for art program and is part of the city's renovation of the park, according to a Public Art Commission news release.

"TREEform" consists of two vibrant, copper-colored steel sculptures that, with their tall trunks and curved "arms," as Pelletier refers to them, resemble trees. The sculptures are surrounded by stone work.

He said the curvature of the arms and bright paint were critical in giving the cold, heavy steel sculptures — each weighing about 1,000 pounds — a "light, playful" feel.

"(It was a challenge) to make something light, elegant, playful, attractive, fun, out of structural steel," he said.

The sculptures, which from conception to fabrication took Pelletier about 200 hours over the course of several months, were installed in October. The project is part of the city's renovation of the park, including improvements to access and parking, new pathways and "concrete seat walls built into the hillside to accommodate better viewing of events at the park band shell," according to the news release.

The city is to dedicate the artwork in a grand opening ceremony for West Park in the spring.

Connie Rizzolo Brown, chairwoman of the projects committee for the Public Art Commission, said Pelletier was one of about 13 applicants. She said the commission "interviewed a number of talented people" but selected Pelletier for the job because of his experience in the field of environmental art and his creativity

She called the sculptures a "lovely addition" to the park.

"It doesn't just sit there as a painting on a wall," Rizzolo Brown said. "(TREEform) is very aware of the context of the site."

Ray Detter, chairman of the Downtown Area Citizens Advisory Council, said he is "very pleased" with the changes to the park he has seen so far.

Detter said he hopes the park's new look will encourage more people to use it. And he expects the new pedestrian HAWK signal nearby will help increase foot traffic to the park.

"In the past, (the park) had not been used a lot," he said. "We hope that we can make more use of it."

Pelletier said it felt "great" to see his conceptual drawings turn into sculptures that are now a part of the park.

"You never know as an artist. I did my drawings, I had my idea," he said. "But you never really know until you make it."

When asked how he came up with the idea, Pelletier said, "Usually something just kind of pops in my mind and then I develop it."

When designing the sculptures, he knew he "wanted something vertical" that would complement the horizontal lines of the park's bench and hill.

"I wanted to do something that stood out in the space," he said.

Bob Dascola, owner of Dascola Barbers, 304 1/2 S. State St., and a founder of Friends of West Park, is working on a proposal to rename the park Central Park West.

Dascola said he thinks the name change is "doable" because the park isn't named after a person. He said he plans to present the proposal to the Ann Arbor Park Commission after Jan. 1.

He said the addition of Pelletier's sculptures to the park are a step in the right direction.

"Having some art to the park is a good thing," he said.

And as for he renovations overall, Dascola is overjoyed.

"You have no idea how pleased I am," he said. "I almost had tears in my eyes to see this thing really happening."

Pelletier said he hopes park-goers will interact with his art as part of the park — sitting beneath his sculptures or incorporating them into the park's theater space.

He said "TREEform" was an "ambitious'' piece for the budget and was made possible, in part, by help from area businesses and local artists.

Pelletier said Lotus Gardenscapes Inc. donated equipment and stone for the project. Dave Palermo, of Palermo’s Collision LLC, in Whitmore Lake, created the copper fade color scheme and painted both pieces, and Rich Cox, of Orion Automotive Services, in Ann Arbor, and artist Tad McKillop helped fabricate the piece. Nick Lawler, of SDI, in Ann Arbor, provided structural design and drawings for fabrication and A-1 Roll Co., of Mount Clemens, provided rolling facilities and expertise to create the bent tubular steel for the piece.



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Heather Lockwood is a reporter for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at heatherlockwood@annarbor.com or follow her on Twitter.

Comments

Blackbird

Mon, Dec 13, 2010 : 10:05 p.m.

They are beautiful and fun. Go for a walk through the park, they are a welcome addition and really help define the new amphitheatre seating area.

Dog Guy

Mon, Dec 13, 2010 : 5:49 p.m.

TammyK, worthy is not expected. Public buildings and parks are named after parasite politicos.

TammyKoupal

Sun, Dec 12, 2010 : 10:52 p.m.

This park needed some TLC. The improvements and the newly planted red trees look wonderful from the street! Looking forward to the construction fencing coming down, so we can get in there and see it all up close. Hopefully, this will lead to more outdoor events there in the summer! My vote would be for no name change. If the name must change, why not save it for when the time comes to honor someone worthy...make it meaningful.

CincoDeMayo

Sun, Dec 12, 2010 : 1:08 a.m.

Like it! I agree with Linda Peck - I've known this park my entire life as "West Park" and I like it that way. What is behind wanting to change it to "Central Park West"? Not only do I think of New York's Central Park, I also think of other commercial ventures that have used the "Central Park" name to emphasize the hugeness - and often garishness - of the business. I have seen the "Central Park" name on bars, arcade/entertainment type businesses, and even a giant mall in Virginia. Yuck! Rethink that name change - please!

Dog Guy

Sat, Dec 11, 2010 : 7:14 p.m.

Did West Park need coat racks?

braggslaw

Sat, Dec 11, 2010 : 6:42 p.m.

They look like dead trees

abc

Sat, Dec 11, 2010 : 10:18 a.m.

@ Dr. I. Emsayin There were no trees in the areas where Traven's 'trees' were 'planted'. There may have been some willows removed but those were all south of the bandshell. North of the bandshell (up the hill) there were no trees until you got to the edge of the park, by the apartments.

Linda Peck

Sat, Dec 11, 2010 : 10:12 a.m.

I like the name "west park" best. It has been that way for a long time and I don't think we need to imitate NYC in any way. We have our own good qualities here.

David Briegel

Sat, Dec 11, 2010 : 9:36 a.m.

I have loved "Central Park West" since I was a small child taken to baseball games, skating, playing in the wading/fountain/pool, playing on the "Indian Trails" and later to band concerts. The view of the city skyline is beautiful especially at sunrise or moonrise! Congratulations to Traven on making it an even more welcoming place! His whimsical TREEform is a great addition to our "Central Park West"!

Dr. I. Emsayin

Sat, Dec 11, 2010 : 8:51 a.m.

The sculptures add whimsy to a non-treed area. But did the city pay a lot of money to have trees cut down to put up sculptures that look like trees? Well, at least the city won't have to pay to have the leaves raked. Hope the project works out well for everyone.

bedrog

Sat, Dec 11, 2010 : 7:58 a.m.

congrats to traven..his company, lotus gardenscapes, is a great bunch to work with.