SAN ANTONIO– Brooks shared design plans for two special items — “Running with the Moon,” a public art piece slated for installation this fall, and the official Brooks 2017 Fiesta Medal based on this stunning work of art. Brooks’ stakeholders and the artist gathered to announce renderings of the sculpture, and to give away 100 Fiesta medals imprinted with the design.
Created by Brad Oldham Sculpture, “Running with the Moon” will celebrate the visionaries and dreamers who helped make Brooks what it is today. The 35-foot-tall sculpture made of steel bronze depicts a boy running with a moon-shaped kite of butterflies. The installation will proudly stand in the epicenter of The Greenline, a 43-acre urban linear park slated to open this fall.
“We could not be more thrilled about this beautiful work of art,” said Leo Gomez, Brooks CEO. “Public art is important because it helps create a unique sense of place and will help make The Greenline an iconic, must-see attraction. Once we unveil the sculpture and open the park, we expect to see the selfies popping up all over social media. Here at Brooks, we love the sculpture so much we decided to make it the focal point of our official 2017 Brooks Fiesta Medal design, which is a high form of praise in our community.”
Dallas-based Brad Oldham Sculpture is a husband and wife team, Brad Oldham and Christy Coltrin, known for their placemaking installation around Texas and throughout the country and abroad. The two artists invest time in understanding each community where their sculptures will be installed to bring a unique and engaging story that could not be told elsewhere.
In 2010, their installation in Dallas called “The Traveling Man” was included in the Americans for the Arts prestigious Year in Review program. Other recent installations include the National Geographic headquarters in Washington, D.C., the entrance of the Mitchell Park Library in Palo Alto, California, Midlothian Convention Center, downtown Houston JW Marriott, Encore Park in downtown Dallas, the Wayne Gretzky Sports Centre in Brantford, Ontario, and the Fairmont Hotel in downtown Chicago. In addition to San Antonio, other cities that will introduce sculpture by Brad Oldham Sculpture include Fort Worth, Texas, Greensboro, North Carolina, and North Charleston, South Carolina.
The $294,000 “Running with the Moon” will feature a 16-foot-tall crescent-shaped kite above Brooks Creek comprised of shiny, stainless steel butterflies. At night, an internal light system will produce light to fill the spaces between overlapping butterflies. A nearly 6-foot-tall bronze boy will be depicted running along the river pulling the kite, representing future generations empowered by the strong decisions made by fellow residents in earlier times.
The butterflies in the kite represent the many wide and difficult decisions made by those who have lived, worked and cared about Brooks over the past 200 years. The butterflies carry the story so well that the artists created a collection of eight cast stainless steel butterflies that range from 3 feet to 6 feet long to be placed throughout the park. These highly accessible artworks, with whimsical faces, round bodies and extravagant wings, are called the “Brooks Butterflies.”
“We hope that people physically engage with the ‘Brooks Butterfly’ by crawling around on the critters, taking pictures and just sitting with the sculptures,” said Brad Oldham.
In addition to installing the sculptures, Oldham and Coltrin will bury a waterproof time capsule later this year with the artists’ notes, back story, renderings and sketches. Brooks will add pieces to the capsule as well, to be opened in 100 years.
“This breathtaking sculpture — and The Greenline itself — will define Brooks and the South Side for generations to come,” said District 3 City Councilwoman Rebecca Viagran. “This piece of art will truly belong to the community and I know it will hold a special place in their hearts.”
View photos & a video from the event.
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Connie Gonzalez (210) 878-9336
