With a ‘Flourish’ – Jim Zimpel sculpture installed in Bozeman’s new Story Mill Park

With a ‘Flourish’ – Jim Zimpel sculpture installed in Bozeman’s new Story Mill Park

A sculpture by Montana State University art professor Jim Zimpel that was inspired by Bozeman’s natural, cultural, commercial and recreational history has been installed in the city’s new Story Mill Community Park located in the historic Story Mill and Cannery District off Griffin Lane.

Called “Flourish,” Zimpel’s work is one of two sculptures selected for the park by a design committee organized by the nonprofit Trust for Public Land. A sculpture by Arizona artist Stephen Fairfield has also been installed. Both pieces of public art are located in the nature sanctuary in the section of the 60-acre city park.

“It’s a really great opportunity to bring to Bozeman something different to the public sculptures that exist in the community,” said Zimpel, who is a professor in the School of Art in the MSU College of Arts and Architecture.

Styled as a whimsical boat frame, Zimpel’s powder-coated, welded steel sculpture rises 25 feet. Its design references industrial windmills and the frames of boats. He said its crossed paddles that move kinetically in the wind recall traditional paddles from various cultures; the birds in the park’s wildlife refuge, which include nesting sandhill cranes; and agricultural wheat. The boat frame is silver blue, which will allow it to blend into the surroundings in some light and appear to float, and the paddles are orange.

He said the sculpture addresses the historic uses of the area from the era of nomadic foraging through industrialization, urban housing (part of the site was once a mobile home park) and now leisure.

“The site has a rich history, including use by indigenous populations. It is a public space for all people, and I think (the piece) represents that.”

Maddy Pope, project manager for the Trust for Public Land, which has coordinated development of the park, said a five-member selection committee with members from the trust, the city and the local art community chose the two pieces of public art from more than 50 applications submitted by artists from throughout the country.

Pope said Zimpel’s sculpture is particularly aligned with its location in the nature preserve southern section of the park, which has been left in a more natural state and is the site of nests for birds and other wildlife. Fairchild’s piece, which is of a large sandhill crane constructed of corrugated iron, is also thematic. Pope said that the funds for the public art came from a $100,0000 National Endowment for the Arts grant that the Trust for Public Land matched through fundraising.

“The committee was very taken with Jim’s concept that combines the idea of both the industrial history of the site – which was not always pristine and included a mill, stock yard and rendering plant and railroad – but also speaks to the natural elements of the area,” Pope said.

Vaughan Judge, director of the School of Art and a member of the park’s selection committee, said “Flourish” embraces in a creative way the history of the usage of the land while being an active piece that will react to wind, snow and sun.

“His sculpture reminds us that nothing stays the same, that human time is different from botanical or geological time,” Judge said. “It’s a window to remind us that this space we walk today, enjoy today, was very different in the not so recent past.”

In addition to Judge and Pope, other members of the design selection committee included Crystal Alegria of the Extreme History Project, curator Caleb Fey, artist Jim Madden and Jamie Saitta from the city of Bozeman.

Dean Adams, acting dean of the MSU College of Arts and Architecture, said he believes “Flourish” is an excellent addition to the public art in the community.

“(Zimpel’s) work connects space to both ideas and questions about what it means to be human and our relationships to people and the land,” Adams said. “(He) exemplifies the great work being done by Montana State University faculty who teach from a place of having a professional practice.”

The sculptures were installed June 27th. Pope points out that the nature preserve is closed to dogs; however, the park features a dog park in another area. In addition, the park also features trails, a playground, a community garden, an amphitheater, a sledding hill, a fishing area on the East Gallatin River and a community center located at the former Boys and Girls Club off Griffin Drive. Pope said the park will open to the public on Saturday, July 20th, with an all-day celebration. •