HUMBOLDT – At the Sept. 23 council meeting, Humboldt council voted to proceed with the development of a creative piece of art that will represent Humboldt’s manufacturing and agriculture sector.  

Jennifer Fitzpatrick, Director of Cultural Services said, “This is an exciting opportunity to acknowledge and celebrate the history of manufacturing and agriculture in the region and create a unique piece of public art which reflects those stories, with tangible pieces from regional manufacturers.” 

The project will be funded with money from the 2024 budget and will also draw from the Humboldt public art reserve fund.  

The Humboldt public art committee’s mandate is to enhance Humboldt as a creative city by infusing public art into the community. “Public art becomes an identifiable point in the urban environment, contributing to the creation of a stronger sense of place,” Fitzpatrick said in her report.  

The Committee has identified the themes of manufacturing and agriculture for its next project. “The themes build on the City of Humboldt’s connection with the “Iron Triangle” – a term that acknowledges the agricultural manufacturing hub in the area, and the long history of manufacturing companies that have grown and supported the regional economy.”  

The report said the themes also reflect the connection to history of farming and agriculture in the region, and the use and re-use of regional materials in creating this sculpture. The proposed sculpture will be a life-size farm or working horse, and its connection to early agriculture in breaking the land. It will comprise new and used metal pieces, including parts from manufacturing companies in the area.  

The committee is reaching out to Iron Triangle manufacturers for financial support and the opportunity to provide pieces from their companies. The history of the iron triangle is being researched by the museum team. A proposed location for the sculpture is near PAMI along Highway 5. This site is a highly visible location with great sightlines, and also provides a safe and accessible location for pedestrian traffic along the trail.  

With council’s approval, the proposed selection process will occur in two phases, with a call for expressions of interest from artists or artist teams this fall, which will be adjudicated by the public art committee. Short-listed artists or artist teams will be provided with an honorarium of $1,000 to develop their concept proposal to submit to the committee for assessment.  

The committee will select the artist or artist team to move forward with the project. It is anticipated that fabrication will occur over the winter and spring months with installation in the summer with a public event to celebrate this new piece of public art with interpretive panels about the piece and the history of the “Iron Triangle.”  

Fitzpatrick said it is anticipated that the budget for this project will be $25,000, which is inclusive of all artist fees and costs to consult, collaborate, design, fabricate, store, transport, and install the public art, plus any costs for engineering, attachments or anchoring.