Duluth Roundabout Sculpture Design to be Unveiled

Michael Dillon, the artist/blacksmith selected by Duluth’s Gateway Art Project Committee to create and install a sculpture in the Roundabout, will be introduced and his design unveiled Tuesday, April 30.

The Duluth Fine Arts League is hosting the event from 7 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, April 30, in the Community Room at Duluth City Hall.

Dillon is the owner of Dillon Forge in Crabapple, GA. “I felt an immediate connection to Duluth’s history, as well as their modern day community vision and values,” Dillon said in a news release issued by the City of Duluth. “I was also very excited by AGCO’s involvement in the project, as their machinery is a part of my history, and inspires my personal aesthetic.”

The public art project has been funded with donations from Duluth-based AGCO Corp., a global manufacturer of agricultural equipment.

Here’s background information about Dillon provided by the city:

Creating sculpture for public spaces is Michael Dillon’s passion. As an artist/blacksmith living and working in North Georgia, he has more than 20 years’ experience creating both functional and sculptural works of art. Michael builds hand forged stair railings, gates, sculpture and furniture for distinguished homes in Atlanta, and abroad. During the past five years, Michael has expanded his career into the public art arena, creating several large­‐scale sculptures. 

Michael finds joy in the balance of creating both architectural ironwork and distinctive sculptures. His peers have long recognized his work, and this past year he received the acclaimed Phillip Trammel Shutze award for craftsmanship in classical architecture. His public work is modern, and narrative. He researches each community and tells a story incorporating their past, present and hopes for the future.

Michael’s love for mechanics was born in the small service station where he worked throughout high school. He has never outgrown the fascination with how things work and translates this to his sculpture. Through careful and intricate engineering, Michael strives to create pieces that are visually uncomplicated, graceful, that engage and inspire wonder. 

Most of Michael’s work is forged, using large industrial steam and mechanical hammers. His hammers are refurbished tools from America’s industrial age. Michael feels that their mark making imparts a sense of history in each piece; he wants to tell a story with his work that underscores the significance our past has on our future.

The GAP Committee chose Dillon’s design from 85 entries submitted in a design competition.

Considered a gateway to Duluth, the Roundabout links West Lawrenceville Street, McClure Bridge Road and Irvindale Road. A Hospital Connector is proposed to be built and connect to the Roundabout in the future.

The sculpture is expected to take approximately six to eight months to be fabricated and installed.   

The GAP Committee was formed by Duluth Mayor Nancy Harris in early 2012 to plan and implement the process of selecting a site-specific piece of public art for the center of the roundabout to welcome citizens and visitors to the city.

The committee is composed of about 20 members including artists, art professionals, city officials, an AGCO representative, and others.

Duluth has since formed a permanent Duluth Public Art Commission (DPAC) to further the city's mission of cultivating the arts.

~ Duluth Patch