A Life Cycle Story
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Title
A Life Cycle Story
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Artist
Maureen Hearty
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Location
Smiley Branch Library
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Neighborhood
Berkeley
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Year
2021
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Artwork Type
Public Sculpture
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Material
steel, aluminum
What People Are Saying
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10 people say Hidden Gem
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9 people say Photogenic
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6 people say Thought Provoking
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5 people say Family Friendly
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5 people say Interactive
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5 people say Love it
About This Piece
"A Life Cycle Story" is an interactive sculpture of steel screen panels located near the south-facing exterior of Denver’s Smiley Branch Library. The artist, Maureen Hearty, plasma cut by hand a six-part story of the dandelion’s life cycle from steel sheet metal. The panels contain cut-outs of dandelion imagery that reflect a playful storyline of dandelions and small birds. The six sculptural screens are linked together by aluminum pipes which act as an interactive sound component. "Dandelion Love," a short, illustrated story book, also created by Maureen Hearty, accompanies the sculpture as a place-making endeavor; connecting the community to the sculpture and the sculpture to Smiley Library and Berkeley Park. Visitors may borrow a hand mallet from the main library desk to “play” the sculpture and access the book at the front desk inside Smiley Library.
Artist's statement:
“'A Life Cycle Story' creates a moment of reflection on the beauty of common simplicity, a break from a world full of sadness and strain. Each illustration was framed into a panel to come together like a short, fold-out book, or Japanese screen. I chose the dandelion flower for its easily recognizable form; often under celebrated and under-appreciated, just like our libraries. And like our libraries, the dandelion can bring beauty, joy, mindfulness, and wellness to our communities. Each panel has a playful bird enjoying the dandelions' growing process, with two loving birds comforting each other in the final phase."
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