Sculpture unveiled at library
A new public art piece was unveiled at the Bella Vista Public Library on Thursday, March 31.
The sculpture “On Top of It” is of a small boy climbing on a rock and is by artist Susan Blackwood of Bella Vista. She and Mayor Peter Christie unveiled the artwork for those at the event.
Christie explained Blackwood was the Bella Vista Arts Council’s most recent artist of the month, and, as he was looking at her artwork, he came across the piece and thought it would go nicely in the library. He said it would complement the children’s area and would hopefully be the first step in the city acquiring more public art.
Demara Titzer, president of the arts council, said, “I think it’s important to notate that this is the first time the city of Bella Vista has purchased a sculpture in partnership with the arts council.” She added the city has donated the sculpture to the library as part of the city’s overall arts initiative.
Blackwood said the sculpture originated from a watercolor painting she created of a boy climbing on a rock.
“I painted it and couldn’t get it out of my mind,” she said.
She said she sculpted the figure in clay. At the time she lived near a foundry, where she had a mold made and the molten bronze was poured.
“What I wanted to express was the joy of climbing on something,” she said, “This sculpture, I felt, was more than just for children to enjoy. All of us have goals we want to attain. If you slip, don’t get discouraged, just get right back on that rock. This little guy enjoyed the process of getting up there.”
She said to the mayor, “I’m so honored that you fell in love with it and now it will have a home.”
Blackwood said the inspiration for the piece was her nephew, her sister’s first child. As a small child he climbed on everything, she said. Now he has grown up to become a bank executive and to run his own real estate business. “He kept climbing,” she said. She said her sister has a second copy of the sculpture, but the mold has since been destroyed.
“I’m honored that he is joining the family and that kids and adults can enjoy him,” she said. “I just love that it’s going to be in a library where people are going to be researching, which is a form of climbing.”