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City of Bartlesville
Posted: May 06, 2020 5:09 PMUpdated: May 06, 2020 5:29 PM
Jacobsen to Design Native Color at Unity Square
“Native Color at Unity Square” is coming to the Tower Center at Unity Square project in downtown Bartlesville.
In recent days, the Bartlesville City Council awarded a commission to Amie Jacobsen of Amie Jacobsen Art and Design. Jacobsen was born in Tulsa but currently works in the Kansas City area. She will build a public art piece for the Tower Center at Unity Square.
The enthusiasm Bartians have for the Tower Center at Unity Square project, the area, the Community Center, and the Price Tower Arts Center is what matters to Jacobsen. In Jacobsen's view, it is neat to be a part of something that is so meaningful for the community. As Jacobsen said, if it's not meaningful to the community, “why do it?”
Jacobsen said “Native Color at Unity Square” (pictured below) consists of nine stainless steel and cast glass Indian Blanket flowers that are eight to 11.5-feet tall. Three bees will be crafted to “buzz” above the flowers. The feature will also include interactive water jet sprinklers for water play around the flowers in the summer months.
The Indian Blanket is the official wildflower in the State of Oklahoma. Jacobsen said the state wildflower was something she felt she could draw inspiration from. She said it normally takes her two to three weeks to get a concrete idea for a project. Sketching takes place before Jacobsen puts the sketches through a three-dimensional design process.
Jacobsen said they are looking to finalize a contract with the City of Bartlesville and get to work as soon as possible. The hope is to have the design installed by early fall.
The pieces are built by Jacobsen herself. Depending on the project, Jacobsen said she may hire assistants to help with the build out. She said all the pieces for “Native Color at Unity Square” will be fabricated in her shop.
Keppel is Jacobsen's studio partner. Jacobsen will create the molds that Keppel will pour glass into the molds and apply several protective coatings to the glass that is an inch thick.
It was Keppel's assistant that actually directed Jacobsen's attention to the Interactive Art Contest the Tower Green Design Committee put on for the Tower Center at Unity Square project. Jacobsen said the contest fit her design style; the contest was something she was familiar with.
There was also the personal tie to the project. Again, Jacobsen was born in Tulsa. Growing up, Jacobsen said her grandparents also lived in Oklahoma, so the family ties drew here to partake in the contest to some extent.
El Paso, Texas is where Jacobsen spent her young childhood. In the 80's, Jacobsen said her family moved to Colorado. Colorful Colorado is where most of her family lives today.
From Colorado, Jacobsen went to Savannah, Georgia for graduate school. Jacobsen got a degree in illustration. She said she taught and illustrated for many years before getting into sculpting five years ago.
Jacobsen moved to Kansas City for family reasons. Jacobsen said she taught online illustration courses for the Savannah College of Art & Design. She said she continued with her illustrations during this time as well.
Eventually Jacobsen got burnt out and was looking for something new. That is when Jacobsen got the idea to work with metal designs and sculpting. On a whim, Jacobsen said she called a metal fabrication shop that she saw on a public television station that had worked with artists in the area and asked if he taught welding. That was when Jacobsen found out that she could intern with the gentleman.
Within two months, Jacobsen became an in-house designer and resident artist full-time. It was there that Jacobsen learned metal fabrication.
Fast forward two years – Jacobsen won her first large scale sculpture project. It was at that time that Jacobsen got her own studio space, and from there she built her own metal shop. That took place in 2017.
In 2019, Jacobsen won another large scale project. The piece was set to be shipped to Coral Springs, Florida in March 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic prevented that from happening. Jacobsen said she will be taking that completed sculpture to Florida on Sunday, May 10th.
The first time Jacobsen was in Bartlesville was when she was selected by the Tower Center at Unity Square as a finalist for the interactive design. Jacobsen said she did not know much about the Price Tower or the Community Center until she became interested in the contest and learned more about the area in her competition material. She said her and her husband stayed at the Price Tower when she was a finalist, and they were in awe of the uniqueness of downtown Bartlesville.
In the moment, Jacobsen wants to build something that is fun, cool and awe-inspiring. Jacobsen said she loves public art pieces because they are meant for everyone, regardless of education or income status. She said she wants her art pieces to be approachable and understandable.
It is the joy people take with them once they see the art that matters most to Jacobsen.
For the full Community Connection interview with Jacobsen, click here.
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