arkparkribboncutting1Jamestown (CSi)  The Jamestown Area Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon cutting and dedication at the “The Prairie Grass Ballet” sculpture at the Hansen Arts Park in Downtown Jamestown,  on Wednesday November 9th.

The sculpture captures the essence of how grasses work together as communities to withstand, and thrive, in the vigorous North Dakota environment. It is a reflection of our community told through our native prairie grass surroundings. As in most plant and animal groups the strength and beauty of the whole is composed of a multitude of individual traits, all unique.

About The Sculpture…from The Arts Center Newsletter…

After two months and two weeks of intense labor here in Jamestown, Owen Fritts
and Elizabeth Hellstern have completed the “Prairie Grass Ballet” sculpture. And it is
stunning! People are already stopping to interact and take photos with it.
Prior to all the labor in Jamestown, there were ten additional weeks of fabrication.
This included five people, 4,800 pounds of aluminum, 2.1 miles of hand plasma
cutting, 1.6 miles of MIG welding, 1,120 square feet of face sanding, and 1,500 miles
of transport to create the grass blades. The sculpture contains 43 total grass blades
and 30 tons of local glacial moraine granite. It is amazing how much work went into
this sculpture, but it was certainly worth the effort.
Along with the names of indigenous prairie grasses, part of narrative engraved into
the granite base is a cento poem. The narrative was created by Elizabeth and her cento
is being published in ND’s most recognized literary journal The North Dakota Quarterly.
The “Prairie Grass Ballet” is not only an amazing gem for downtown Jamestown, it truly
honors all the many facets that put the “s” in Arts.
You can see more photos of the construction process on the “Prairie Grass Ballet”
facebook page: www.facebook.com/prairiegrassballet.