New “Phenomenon” Sculpture Installed at Maple Grove Library

The recently received an addition outside – a sculpture titled “Phenomenon.”

The structure, created by artist by Janet Lofquist, was installed Feb. 14 as part of the One Percent for Art program. The 22-foot high sculpture “Phenomenon” consists of aluminum rods and glass rocks.

“In developing a proposal for the Maple Grove Library, I wanted to draw on the ephemeral qualities of nature as a visual metaphor for the creative process and the alchemy of ideas and images within the context of the library,” Lofquist said in her artist statement at the start of the public art process.

Lofquist described the sculpture of consisting of a “matrix” of welded stainless steel rods. Within the structure,  “glass rocks with crystallized surfaces that catch glints of sunlight.”

The art piece was funded through the One Percent for Art initiative, according to the Hennepin County Library website. Capital building projects of $1 million or more, such as the Maple Grove Library, have one percent of the capital project “dedicated to the selection, purchase, and installation of works of public art.” Lofquist was selected from three exterior sculpture finalists last September.

“Just as writers have used words to engage us, the intent of the proposed piece is to create an experience in which to engage the viewer and stretch the imagination through a visual language of sculptural form and materials,” Lofquist said in her statement.

A sculpture of an abstract flying dragon, suspended above the children’s area, was installed last year as the Maple Grove Library’s other piece funded through the One Percent for Art initiative.

A dedication or event is planned for the outdoor sculpture, although no date has been determined as of March 1.