Collaborative art, uniting past, present and future | ehextra.com

“Local artist and UW-Green Bay, Marinette Campus Professor Emeritus Jim LaMalfa spoke of an acreage he owns where 148-year-old rotted out tree stumps slowly disintegrate and serve as signatures left behind after the Great Peshtigo Fire. More pointedly, he spoke of the new trees pushing up through those enduring fragments of history, new seedlings drawing life, preserving the memory of the past and seeding visions of the future.

For LaMalfa, that analogy conveys a pointed message about the new public art piece erected earlier this week at the corner of Main and Ely streets in Marinette.

“(Public art) is living history,” LaMalfa said. “And this new sculpture is a form of visual communication that says, ‘this is who we were’ and ‘this is who we are today.’”

The 40-foot sculpture marks the way to Fincantieri Marinette Marine and embodies a collaborative effort between the City of Marinette, the shipyard, the Navy and LaMalfa. In addition, various local industries participated in the manufacturing and construction of the sculpture, further emphasizing the vital components that industry and local area people add to the foundation of productivity, culture and traditions, prospering in this small corner of Wisconsin.

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