Go Retire Psychiatrist

A couple of days ago, Sena was out and happened to be driving by Terry Trueblood Recreation Area. She saw some guy doing something with a greenish scarf on Walking Man sculpture. She couldn’t tell if he was trying to put it on the sculpture or take it for himself. By the time she got to the Walking Man after parking the car, the guy was gone. She also got several video clips of the flowers at the park and Sand Lake (I’m working on a post for that).

The other thing I want to mention is that Sena had left a voice mail asking about when the name plates would be installed on the sculptures for the Sculptor Showcase for 2026-28. She got a reply some days later and so I checked the Iowa Parks website. Guess what I found? The sculpture Point of Reference (Iowa River Trail near HWY 6 Bridge) by artist Tim Jorgensen has a description which starts by saying, “Point of Reference is a series of three large Plumb Bobs.” So, Sena and I were both right when we guessed what the sculpture would be called before the signs were installed.

You can find descriptions of the Sculpture Showcase at this link.

The artist who created Walking Man (Terry Trueblood Recreation Area) is v.Skip Willits. Here’s what he says about the sculpture:

“With this sculpture I want to give the impression of movement, of striding forward. With these organic patterns there is metamorphosis — something emerging, unfolding, becoming.”

I wonder if he knows that some passersby are trying to make it appear to be striding down a fashion show runway.

Sculptor Josepine Schauls has an intriguing statement about her “Relief and Release” chain sculpture (at Scott Park), which begins as follows:

“Relief, Release is an abstract form that winds through space. Large links made of steel are joined together reaching as far as they can off of the platform, resembling a chain reaching towards the sky.” She also says “Chains as objects can restrict, secure, and transmit power. We all have our individual and invisible “chains” in our lives, community, and country.” 

When I first saw it, I thought of the song “Chain of Fools” by Aretha Franklin.

The sculptor Kristin Garnant, who made “Dance Diagram” (at Mercer Park) really was a lot of fun for us when we realized it was actually about dancing. She says:

“This work gives the viewing public an opportunity to attempt a bit of fancy footwork, if so inspired. A very basic dance step diagram is enlarged and cut into 11-gauge steel. This instructive piece teaches a simple move that can be performed by young and old while also being a visually interesting work.” I guess the pattern doesn’t include moon-walking or whatever that was I was doing that day when we were out there (see our YouTube).