Crystal Lake commissions $50K sculpture by local artist for roundabout

Crystal Lake‘s first public art piece funded by the city will be created by a prominent local artist and displayed in the center of a roundabout at Congress Parkway and Exchange Drive.

The sculpture, priced at $50,000, is described as a “transparent globe” made of stainless steel with bronze elements including a fish and sailboat on a stone base pedestal, according to city documents. The Public Arts Commission noted that the design will allow vehicles to circle the sculpture without obstructed views.

Artist and Crystal Lake resident Erik Blome has been commissioned to create the sculpture. He has completed dozens of bronze sculptures in his career that are on display around the world, including a traveling 8½-foot-tall bust of Jean Baptiste Point DuSable. Blome was most recently commissioned to create a groundhog statue and bench for Woodstock. His art can be found in Crystal Lake, like a statue at the ComEd headquarters, and busts in the Raue Center for the Arts.

Some Crystal Lake City Council members expressed concerns about the location and the $50,000 price tag, but ultimately voted in favor of the project in a 5-1 vote Tuesday.

“I love this piece of artwork. I don’t love the location,” council member Denise Smith, who voted no, said. “And I have a really hard time with the sticker price on this.”

Council member Cameron Hubbard said: “It’s a lot of money for a project that’s going on – what I would consider – a back road in Crystal Lake. It’s a cut-through. It’s not a main thoroughfare through our community.”

Council member Ellen Brady reminded colleagues that they specifically planned for art to be installed in that roundabout during a previous budget hearing, and no objections over the location were raised then.

“We already decided that we were good with art at $50,000 for this spot,” she said.

The 14-by-8-foot sculpture is expected to be completed in one year, according to city documents. It will be casted at Blome’s bronze foundry and studio in Woodstock with 316 marine-grade stainless steel from Chicago Metal Corporation, Blome said in his proposal to the city.

Blome, of Figurative Art Studios, has lived in Crystal Lake since 2002. He said he has not seen any public art while living there.

“So for me, it means a lot. When I did the design, it really was for my hometown,” he said. “The $50,000 would be a minimum I would do that for. My work is usually three times that.”

Blome said he believes the location is a prominent area for locals, with the post office and the train station located on Congress Parkway.

“I don’t know anybody in Crystal Lake who doesn’t drive through that area,” he said. The sculpture is a similar design to one Blome created for the Mount Prospect Public Library that has become “emblematic” for the city.

“Public art can be something that helps the town as a visual symbol,” he said.

Woodstock is also installing an art sculpture in a roundabout on Route 14. The city allocated $30,000 toward the $55,000 project and is fundraising from private donors for the rest.

In Crystal Lake, this was the first recommendation made by the Public Arts Commission that went forward to the City Council or a vote, Community Development Director Kathryn Cowlin said. For future decisions, council members requested commission meeting minutes and that commissioners be present during City Council votes for any questions they can answer.

The process has been a long one, with no responses to the request for proposals and one response to the second request, Cowlin said. Requests to collaborate with local artists, McHenry County and art organizations like the Illinois Arts Council were unsuccessful, according to city documents.

This project will take up all of the Public Arts Commission’s annual budget. For future projects in the year, the commission can request more money from City Council or fundraise from private donors. Council member Ian Philpot noted that the city’s Historic Preservation Commission does not receive any city money and has to fundraise all of its dollars from private donors.

Mayor Haig Haleblian said he is “passionate” about bringing more public art to the city and hopes this project will be a catalyst for more projects in the future.

“This is an investment for our community,” he said, adding that the price tag “is a lot of money, but relatively speaking, I think this is a bargain.”