S
p 47FALL/WINTER 2011 SCULPTURE PARK CITY OF ROSEVILLE, CALIFORNIA
BY JULIE HIROTA, ROSEVILLE ARTS! CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER JUDI NICHOLSON, CITY OF ROSEVILLE CULTURAL ARTS LIAISON TARA L. GEE, CITY OF ROSEVILLE SENIOR LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT
FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE NEW TO THE CITY OF ROSEVILLE, ONE OF THE FIRST THINGS THEY NOTICE IS A LARGE RED SCULPTURE IN THE MIDDLE OF OUR CITY. “WHAT IS THAT?” THEY ASK. SOME SAY IT’S A BIG RED ROSE IF VIEWED FROM ABOVE, WHILE OTHERS SAY IT’S SIMPLY A PIECE OF ABSTRACT ART. ISN’T THAT WHAT ART IS? IT IS A SOURCE OF DISCUSSION, AN INTERPRETATION BY THE VIEWER, A UNIQUE CREATION BY AN ARTIST, SOMETHING VISUAL THAT PEEKS CURIOSITY, AND A CENTERPIECE WHERE PEOPLE ARE DRAWN TOGETHER. THIS SCULPTURE IS LOCATED IN THE CITY OF ROSEVILLE’S SCULPTURE PARK AND REPRESENTS ALL THAT AND MORE.
COSMOS In 1990, Angelo Tsakopoulas dedicated the sculpture Cosmos, created by artist Aris Demetrios, to the City of Roseville. It is located on a .8 acre site on Sunrise Blvd., simply named Sculpture Park. The eighty foot tall Cosmos is a bright red three dimensional metal sculpture and is visible from Interstate 80, a major east/ west highway that brings travellers through the City. The sculpture is visible for miles and has become a prominent landmark.
SCULPTURE PARK At the base of Cosmos, the park features concrete stanchions that display artwork created by Roseville 3rd & 4th grade student winners of the Children’s Sculpture Contest. The long running contest began in 1993 and was
conducted yearly until 2003. A fund to support the contest was created by Mr. Tsakopoulas and administered through the city’s Parks and Recreation Department. City staff facilitated the annual contest in concert with local 3rd & 4th grade school teachers. The original art was created using clay. The contest focused on a Flora & Fauna theme. Completed pieces were judged by the city Cultural Arts Commissioners. Winner’s pieces were then cast in bronze and installed on the stanchions at Sculpture Park each year. A kiosk was created at the park to tell visitors about the contest and list the names of winners and contest sponsors. The sculpture contest was a great success.
While the art contest ended in 2003, Sculpture Park remains popular. Cosmos draws people in
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