Sculptcycles return to downtown Montpelier
Toolbox
By SARAH HINCKLEY Staff writer - Published: June 12, 2009
MONTPELIER – Kate Wanner has never presented her art in public. Until now.
The bicycling enthusiast from Waterbury Center is showing her "Cathedral of Cycling" as one of the 19 Sculptcylces on display throughout downtown.
Yes, the Sculptcycles are back for a second year.
The signature public art project coordinated by Montpelier Downtown Community Association and sponsored by several businesses, organizations and private entities will be featured throughout the summer. Scultpcycles are sculptures made totally or in part from recycled bicycle parts.
Wanner's piece is now on display in the window of Onion River Kids on Langdon Street. It is one of three that has gone public. Others include "American Bovine Gothic," by John Batten, in front of Dennis, Ricker and Brown on State Street, and "Yes We Can Overcome," by Patrick Purcell, in front of the Vermont Supreme Court building, also on State Street.
More are slated to pop up in the next couple of weeks.
"I'm hoping it's a good niche. I've never seen stained-glass bicycle wheels before," said Wanner, during her cycling commute home Wednesday from Montpelier. "I'm attracted to the nontraditional frames for stained glass."
While Wanner had made two of the wheels before – one as a Valentine's Day present for her husband – she knew putting one on display was taking a risk.
"I was nervous about regular stained-glass professionals seeing this and thinking, 'Oh, this is crap,'" said Wanner, who began working with the medium in 2002. "I think it's a really cool idea. It's got kind of a rough look to it."
Wanner is one of several new artists to participate in the Sculptcycle event. There are several returning artists, as well as a few pieces that are returning from last year after not finding a home at the culminating auction.
Lazy Pear Gallery Owner Rob Hitzig, who helped organize the event last year, crafted "The Dog Walker" for the first Sculptcycle event. This year, he is back and was planning to craft the "Dog Pack," made up of several hounds created from recycled bicycle parts. However, the best laid plans often change.
"I made a dog, which was definitely a dog," said Hitzig, explaining his second attempt took on more of an equestrian shape. "I can make it a dog, but I'd rather it be a horse, if it's a horse. Then I was thinking I'd like to make some other animals."
At this point, Hitzig has partially disassembled seven bicycles and has four more to add to his mix.
"I'll have 11 bodies, could be a lot of animals," he said, noting that artists are often changing their plan from the beginning to the end of a project. "I have to sort of look at the parts and see what the parts make. I might become obsessed with making these bike sculptures."
Hitzig's typical medium is wood, which makes up a portion of his bicycle-influenced creations. Either way, fans of the Sculptcycles should stay tuned to what pops up on the streets of downtown.
"There's a lot of really good designs this year that we're waiting for," said Hitzig, highlighting "The Hermit Crab" that will be featured at the Kellogg-Hubbard Library and is based on the book, "House for a Hermit Crab," by Eric Carle.
Contact Sarah Hinckley at sarah.hinckley@timesargus.com.
39