Mama Rosa will soon have company at Firefly Grove Park in Wauwatosa.
Sacred Rhythm Mother and her animal friends are coming to life as part of an art project occurring one year after renowned Danish recycling artist Thomas Dambo created a massive troll sculpture in the park.
The centerpiece of the new sculpture collection will be the large face and head of an Earth goddess, dubbed Sacred Rhythm Mother, who will ascend from the ground with her arm “releasing” animals into the park while, at the same time, unveiling a poem about all creatures living in harmony with the Earth.
A dedication ceremony for the Sacred Rhythm Mother installation is being planned for Aug. 28, during which Wisconsin poet laureate and Milwaukee native Brenda Cárdenas will read a poem written by the project’s lead artist and CEO of Walk the Willow, Justin Roberts.
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The business is focused on creating eco-centric willow furniture and environmental sculptures, Roberts who’s based in Kentucky, co-owns the firm with his wife Shannon Davis Roberts.
“We’re thrilled to create such a momentous piece like Sacred Rhythm Mother in one of the most whimsical and imaginative parks we’ve ever seen,” said Roberts. “It’s clear to us that Wauwatosa shares a similar goal and passion as our team – creating conversations about restoring our natural world through awe-inspiring art.”
The project is being funded through tax dollars and is being built with the assistance of a dedicated group of local volunteers. Work began earlier this month and is expected to be completed before Labor Day, if the weather cooperates.
Sacred Rhythm Mother is positioned in the southeast corner of Firefly Grove Park, spanning from midway up the large hill to its base, ensuring sledding won’t be affected in winter. The sculptures are being made from willow, driftwood and other natural materials, as well as recycled metal amongst other found objects.
In addition to the main Mother Earth-like centerpiece, the project includes sculptures of various creatures, including a green heron, great blue heron, mallard duck, belted kingfisher, mink, turtles and a muskrat. The animal sculptures are constructed, in part, from objects pulled from a section of the Ohio River that runs through Kentucky.
The bill of the mallard duck, for instance, is made from a cymbal taken from a drum set, while the blue heron is constructed from a portion of a 55-gallon drum barrel. Bicycle parts and discarded cans are among the other parts used in the metalwork.
Invasive plants are being harvested and used for what Roberts described as the project’s canvas. At midday on Monday, Roberts and volunteers were weaving buckthorn into Sacred Rhythm Mother’s metal arm, which will stretch 34 feet and be 8 feet tall and 9 feet wide.
“We’re removing invasive plants, but in a creative way to educate instead of just removing and discarding them, we’re turning them into something,” said Roberts, who made his foray into the art world by making willow furniture and baskets after giving up a career in food service.
As Roberts and volunteers focused on introducing buckthorn into the sculpture, master welder Nathan Kennedy, a Kentucky native who began working with Roberts a decade ago, was busy welding the parts that will make up the face and head of the main piece.
Kennedy said the projects he works on with Roberts “just keep getting bigger and bigger.”
Sacred Rhythm Mother’s head will be approximately 11 feet tall at its highest point, up to 18 feet wide and 22 feet long. There is a planned ADA-compliant archway near the top of her head and two smaller openings at one of the ears to enter the natural space inside the head.
“Kids will be able to crawl inside the ear, walk around and depending on where they’re standing, see the animals through the eyes,” Roberts remarked.
The latest project is part of an ongoing effort to make Wauwatosa a destination for arts tourism.
“Initially, we didn’t know what that would look like, but then we came out and said we wanted to make big, bold statements with our art,” Discover Wauwatosa tourism specialist Beth Gleesing said.
Sacred Rhythm Mother adds an adventurous, experiential art installation to the park, she added.
“You’ll be experiencing art in a way that the average person does not get to experience art,” Gleesing said. “We’re so used to seeing art on a wall in a museum, where you’re not allowed to touch it, that kind of art is also wonderful, but this will offer a new experience while providing us with a beautiful intersection of art and nature.”
She called the selection of Roberts and Walk the Willow for the latest art installation a “very curated experience.”
“We wanted to have another sculpture that fits the tone of the park and matches Mama Rosa, something that was in alignment with the vision for the park as a whole,” said Gleesing. “We did a good amount of research to find an artist that we felt could deliver that vision and we’re very happy that Mama Rosa will have a permanent friend.”
Gleesing said a site already has been selected for yet another major art project at Firefly Grove Park, near the southernmost entrance.
“There’ll be one more piece over there, but that one hasn’t been selected yet,” she said.
