Mill Art Project creations nearing completion

by Dennis Dalman

editor@thenewsleaders.com

To some the sculptures might seem to resemble big steely monsters; to others they might look like large industrial-strength insects; and to still others they might have the burnished beauty of cast-off objects repurposed into surprising beauty.

Sartell residents can form their own opinions when the six functional sculptures are unveiled, possibly as soon as the end of June, in two of Sartell’s parks: Watab and Val Smith.

The six benches and bicycle racks are not completed yet, although a few sneak previews of the works-in-progress were leaked recently to the Sartell Newsleader.

All are being created as part of what’s known as the Sartell Mill Art Project, which began about a year ago, thanks to a $28,000 grant from the Central Minnesota Arts Board, $10,000 from the City of Sartell, many in-kind donations and several cash donations, such as recent gifts of $1,120 from retired paper-mill workers, $1,000 from the Sartell American Legion and $100 from Roland and Janette Weis of Sartell.

The inception for the Sartell Mill Art Project was the explosion and fire that killed one worker and injured several at the Verso Paper Mill on Memorial Day, 2012. The tragedy caused the permanent closing of the paper mill, which had been a financial and societal bedrock for a century in Sartell under one management or another.

A proposal to memorialize the defunct plant and its importance to Sartell’s history was developed and submitted to the arts board, which liked the idea and announced the grant.

The proposal was to enlist the help of local artists/sculptors to retrieve bits and pieces of the paper mill’s demolition and to reassemble those cast-offs creatively into bicycle racks and benches for public places in the city.

The coordinators of the project are artist Heidi Jeub, who is a Sartell High School graduate now living in Little Falls; and Joe Schulte, a technical-arts instructor at Sartell High School. Last summer, six artists, including Jeub, began researching the mill and then they toured among the rubble and the wreckage as a company who’d purchased the mill and its site tore the mill apart, recycling what could be saved.

With the help of the demolitionists, the artists were able to remove some of the most intriguing-looking metal pieces to be used in their utilitarian sculptures. Such objects included gears, chains, giant granite rollers, large metal pieces and even a huge part of a metal coal chute.

Currently, the project organizers are seeking sponsorships for each sculpture for $2,500 each. The total cost of the project is likely to approach $60,000, and most of that money has been secured by the grants, the city donation, in-kind contributions such as from North Side Welding of Sauk Rapids and cash donations. North Side Welding donated $5,000-worth of time, labor and supplies to the project.

Project leader Jeub said all involved had hoped to have the sculptures installed by this Memorial Day, the third anniversary of the Verso tragedy, but several complications prevented that from happening. She said she is almost certain they can be installed by the end of June. The precise places for the installations have been selected, and concrete footings for them will soon be poured. They will be placed in Watab Park, Val Smith Park, and one will be installed near Sartell City Hall.

Anyone interested in sponsoring one of the sculptures should call Mary Degiovanni at Sartell City Hall. Her number is 320-258-7309.

Upcoming stories about the sculptures, their creators and the unveiling of the works will be published in upcoming issues of the Sartell Newsleader.