Council makes artistic decision

City council members have approved the first Norman Forward art project. “Splash,” by Mark Aeling of MGA Sculpture Studio in St. Petersburg, Fla., will be placed on the grassy area on the west side of the parking lot at the east end of Westport Drive, as part of the Westwood Park complex, which includes a new municipal water park and improvements to tennis facilities.

The $100,000 price tag for the sculpture represents 1 percent of the construction costs for the water park and will be paid for out of Norman Forward sales tax revenue. With the adoption of Norman Forward, the city committed to expend an amount not to exceed 1 percent of the construction costs of major new construction and community park improvements. That amount of money is restricted to public art projects and cannot be used for other purposes, city officials said.

City officials partnered with the Norman Arts Council and the city’s Public Arts Board. The selection panel for the art work was Jim Griffith, David Minihan, Brook Haney, Ally Richardson, Rick McKinney and Jud Foster.

The proposed 20-foot sculpture captures the interplay of the swim facilities and nearby tennis courts with bold colors and a scale and design that matches the city’s desire for a place for Norman families to congregate and enjoy the community, parks officials said.

“This sculpture in particular takes into consideration the needs of the Westwood Aquatic Center by creating an iconic image that is active and vibrant, fun and playful, while still carrying with it several layers of meaning and interpretation,” Aeling said in his narrative for the piece, which will be constructed from powder-coated aluminum and steel.