Solar-Powered Sculpture to be Installed on Willimantic Riverfront
Willimantic, CT (04/27/2018) — The winning team of Connecticut's first clean energy public art design competition was presented with their award on April 25 at Connecticut Arts Day. The solar-powered sculpture "Rio Iluminado" won the design commission; the design team will now further develop their sculpture for implementation on the riverfront in downtown Willimantic.
The Rio Iluminado team consisted of Pirie Associates Architects, architect Lindsay Suter and sculptor Gar Waterman, who designed a public art piece capable of generating 25.5 MWh of clean energy annually for a 3.4-acre remediated brownfield site owned by the Willimantic Whitewater Partnership (WWP).
"Rio Iluminado cleverly addresses how to bring the river closer to the community - and vice-versa," says WWP President James Turner. "We are thrilled to have a project design that will result in such an intricately conceived and strikingly executed work of art for the community to enjoy and be inspired by for years to come."
The non-profit Land Art Generator Initiative (LAGI) worked with WWP in partnership with the Institute for Sustainable Energy (ISE) at Eastern Connecticut State University as well as the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD) Office of the Arts to stage the design competition. The goal was to use community input to create a power-generating centerpiece at a new whitewater park along the Willimantic River.
A glimmering arch covered in a 900 sq. ft. solar array, Rio Iluminado will use the sun to generate energy and mark the passage of the seasons, the rhythm of the day and the movement of river-related species - all while reinforcing the community's connection to the river.
Laura Pirie, principal of Pirie Associates Architects, says their firm partnered with people who understand the power of creating on purpose. "As a community in its postindustrial reckoning, Willimantic struggled to identify itself and its future," she says. "The LAGI program really resonated with us, from a community purpose-making point of view."
For Phase II of the project, the winning team will undertake a detailed design stage to develop Rio Iluminado for production. This will include providing detailed drawings for fabrication and installation, a quantity survey and cost estimate, production and installation schedules, along with an appropriate prototyping, test and commissioning plan.
Phase III, which is expected to cost between $250,000 and $500,000, will see the fabrication, instruction and production of the artwork. "You're creating a sense of space, you're a creating this physical space that makes people feel further connected, and then you're putting energy back on the grid," says Kristina Newman-Scott, director of culture in the Office of the Arts & Historic Preservation, with the State of Connecticut's DECD.
Willimantic's riverfront multi-use recreational site is expected to energize socioeconomic development for postindustrial Windham. ISE Energy Technical Specialist Jessica LeClair says her organization sees the project as a possible model to be shared across the state. Jim Bellano, the Town of Windham's director for economic development, says LAGI Willimantic is consistent with the Town's Plan of Conservation and Development. "From an economic development perspective," he says, "the project is in concert with the town's efforts for promoting recreation and tourism; enhancing the town's quality of life; and fostering downtown Main Street revitalization."
Consistent with their motto that "Renewable Energy Can Be Beautiful," LAGI design competitions emphasize the cultural, educational, interactive and playful value of public artworks while contributing to global climate health. Co-founders Elizabeth Monoian and Robert Ferry say, "Rio Iluminado was chosen by the selection committee as the winner because the design emerged out of a thoughtful community engagement process and reflects - both literally and figuratively - the hopes and aspirations of the people of Willimantic for this new place with a timeless and elegant regenerative sculpture."
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Eastern Connecticut State University is the state of Connecticut's public liberal arts university, serving more than 5,300 students annually at its Willimantic campus and satellite locations. In addition to attracting students from 163 of Connecticut's 169 towns, Eastern also draws students from 26 other states and 20 other countries. A residential campus offering 40 majors and 65 minors, Eastern offers students a strong liberal art foundation grounded in an array of applied learning opportunities. Ranked the 25th top public university in the North Region by U.S. News and World Report in its 2018 Best College ratings, Eastern has also been awarded 'Green Campus' status by the Princeton Review eight years in a row. For more information, visit www.easternct.edu.
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