Thanks to a grant of just over $43,000 from the Maryland Arts Council, a 22-foot-tall, light-absorbing stainless steel tree will be installed in Wakefield Valley Westminster Park this summer. Many life-sized crows perch on some branches. .
A sculpture by Westminster artist Thomas Sterner titled “Raventri” will be installed in July.
Raventri will be Sterner’s 11th sculpture, on which he will begin work in March. Miniatures and sketches are ready.
Sculptor Thomas Sterner presents a miniature copy of his proposed sculpture of Raventri at his Westminster studio on Thursday 2 February 2023. Sterner will install the Raventry sculpture in Wakefield Valley Park in July. (Brian Christa/Carroll County Times)
The Westminster resident began his career as a sculptor with Sprouts, a public art piece intended to reflect the idea of growth set outside the city’s executive offices at 45 W. Main St. at Westminster.
“All public sculptures are big simply because they make a bigger impression,” Steiner, 62, said. “I like to work hard.”
Sterner said the metal tree would stand out from the natural trees and would be placed on top of a hill to be seen throughout the park. The artist hopes that the way the steel sculpture captures and reflects light will draw onlookers to take a closer look at the Javanese Tree and encourage park visitors to stop and contemplate its unusual nature.
“I think successful sculpture can be admired from all angles and from any distance,” says Steiner. “I want it to be conspicuous from a distance, and then when people come up to discover it and look at it, they can see more.”
Sterner added that the piece was not meant to be a tribute to the Baltimore Ravens, although he said that any interpretation of the art would be valid.
Artist Thomas Sterner sees a copy of the proposed Raventri sculpture, along with plans and notes, in his Westminster studio on Thursday, February 2, 2023. Sterner will install the Raventry sculpture in Wakefield Valley Park in July. (Brian Christa/Carroll County Times)
Mayor Mona Becker said the free installation of the artist’s work in a public park was a victory for Westminster. The park was created on the site of a former golf course and has been transformed over the years with a grant from the Land and Water Conservation Fund. The city is currently accepting applications for a new pavilion next to the Raventri sculpture.
“It’s a huge green space, and cities usually don’t have the ability to do something with really big green spaces,” Becker said. “It’s fantastic that this event will take place in Westminster.”
With funding from the Chesapeake Bay Alliance, 22 acres of trees will be planted in the park. The 1767 Durbin House, located in the park, received a $25,000 real estate grant in 2020 to help restore and repurpose it.
Any grant-funded projects to further improve Wakefield Valley Park are more than welcome, Becker said.
If artists can come together to win grants or find other funding to help them beautify the green space, Sterner said, Wakefield Valley Park could be an incredible destination for a sculpture park.
A partnership with the Carroll Arts Council is possible, Becker added, though it’s unclear what that partnership would look like.
“It would be great to get sculptures there, especially by local artists,” says Becker. “I think people will look at some of the art in public, and the art in Wakefield Valley is wonderful.”
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