A new piece of public art, a stainless steel heart mounted on a supporting basalt boulder, has been commissioned for installation this fall on the southeast corner of 6th and Columbia streets.
The artwork called “Heart & Stone” will be created by Jennifer Corio and David Frei of Vancouver’s Cobalt Designwork, and is based on the theme “Founding Mothers.” Vancouver’s Downtown Association chose the work, which will add to a growing number of public artworks in the city’s downtown, through a competitive selection process.
“Heart & Stone” is slated to be unveiled on the corner of 6th and Columbia at the Vancouver’s Downtown Association’s first Friday event on Oct. 2
This massive artwork will stand 12 feet high. Its basalt foundation will weigh about 3,000 pounds and the steel heart will weigh about 500 pounds, said Lee Rafferty, executive director of Vancouver’s Downtown Association.
The overall cost of the artwork, including site preparation, landscping and lighting, will be about $20,000, Rafferty said. The city is contributing $12,500 and the rest of the funding will come from private donations, she said. The city is willing to contribute, she said, because it is “looking for something that creates a unique place, and art is a great way to do that.”
Rafferty announced the selection of the Cobalt Designworks piece on Thursday at the downtown association’s quarterly meeting. She introduced Frei, who predicted that the large heart, located in an area of downtown that draws many visitors, will quickly become a “photo opportunity” site.
“This will be the kind of piece that people can interact with,” he said.
The artists chose a heart to represent the role of women in Vancouver’s growth and development because “there was always a lot of heart in what they did,” he said.
Cobalt Designworks also designed the whimsical “Flying Umbrella” sculpture on Main and Evergreen streets, which was unveiled in 2012.
Rafferty said the artists’ selection of basalt as a base for the piece relates well to the basalt that is used heavily throughout Esther Short Park’s Propstra Square, across Columbia Street from the site where the new artwork will be placed. The new piece “sits nicely in its surrounding,” she said.
The location, in front of a building that houses Gemé Art, is highly visible to visitors to Esther Short Park, the convention center and the Vancouver Farmer’s Market.
