November 2021 - Parks & Recreation - 42

SCULPTURE GARDEN
forming a cohort of artists who
understood
the
importance of
incorporating community voice into
this very special park renovation
project - ultimately expanding the
partnership between the city and
the artists group to include the local
community.
With a background in theater,
Pettis rediscovered herself as a visual
artist in 2015, using drawings she
made as a child as the inspiration
for her artmaking. She is widely
known for her contributions as part
of the sound art duo Beatrix*Jar,
working in tandem with her husband
and creative partner, Jacob
Aaron Roske, on sound design
and production.
Dysart has been a city artist with
Public Art Saint Paul since 2016,
using his work to explore the intersection
between the built and natural
environment. Dysart leveraged his
background in artistic play equipment
fabrication to support the Western
Sculpture Park project. Lee, also
engaged by Public Art Saint Paul, is
a Hmong artist who specializes in
creating art rooted in community
identity, lending his talents for the
neighborhood engagement events.
The artists cohort of Pettis, Dysart
and Lee, working in partnership
with Bianca Paz, project manager
and landscape designer for Saint
Paul Parks and Recreation, hosted a
series of pop-up community engagement
events to connect with local
kids about the project. " Bianca Paz is
incredible on so many levels. While
[she] would argue she was doing
her job, she was just always [going]
above and beyond. Bianca was really
connected with the community
when we worked on the project. She
has children of her own and really
spent a lot of time watching children
play, researching the history of the
site, and securing more funding for
the project, " recalls Pettis. She adds
that Paz was the pivotal force in the
team's community outreach.
Children and families attended
events at Rondo Library where kids
drew pictures of what they would
like to see in the park, dreaming big
about a place where they could play
and run around with their friends.
Given the kids' desire for a place
that provides opportunities for active
recreation, the artist cohort realized
the need to get creative about
the new art installation at Western
Sculpture Park, leading the team to
invent a type of amenity Saint Paul
had never seen before: an " art playground "
that infuses traditional play
elements with artistic character.
The stuffed birds Pettis brought to
one gathering - little sewn fabric
creatures born out of cartoon drawings
from Pettis' childhood - got a
lot of play, hugs and attention from
the children. Lovingly known as Art
Pets, Pettis had been selling these
" pets with no mess " at craft fairs
and holiday events for years prior to
the playground project. Her Art Pets
project provided a bit of " unforeseen
market research " for the Western
Sculpture Park playground, according
to Pettis. Dysart created the
drawings for the park design based
on Pettis' physical birds, working
closely with Paz to ensure that the
designs met all safety requirements
for the toddler play area. When
asked about the community engagement
experience, Pettis reflected
how " artists can act as translators,
giving physical
form to
people's
hopes, dreams and desires. "
The play area's large, colorful and
playful birds have become the focal
point of the park, and are even considered
the park mascots, according
to some community members.
While each bird has a different personality,
Pettis took special care to
ensure the visual identity of each
bird is not too prescriptive, allowing
children to use their imagination
The playfulness of the bird structures
encourages children to climb on top of
the birds and to treat them just as they
would any other playground equipment.
42 Parks & Recreation | NOVEMBER 2 0 2 1
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November 2021 - Parks & Recreation

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