July 22, 2024

This paid piece is sponsored by Pendar Properties.

Two new signature art pieces will be installed downtown this week, bringing some final touches to the expanded Cherapa Place development.

Color of Memory, a piece that consists of two lighted columns, will be brought to Sioux Falls by Los Angeles artist Matt Gagnon, who has made versions of the piece for more than two decades.

“It’s about trying to bring in as many materials and textures and colors that can exist in one time in an object and retain some sense of itself,” he said. “If you look closely, there’s differences that don’t necessarily feel like they belong in the same piece, and when you step back, there’s a sense that it all works together.”

The piece consists of two columns, 14 and 11 feet respectively, and it will be placed at the riverfront entry to the Cherapa development between the original building and The Bancorp Building.

Color of Memory is meant to evoke “when we think of our own individual memories,” Gagnon said. “We have all kinds of moods, of values, to those emotions, and they make up who we are.”

The piece transitions between darker, saturated colors and brighter, lighter colors. It’s made with handblown glass by a Seattle artist, “and we used rocks from the (Cherapa) site in the concrete as aggregate and polished and chiseled some of the concrete so you can see the quartzite,” he said. “And then it’s stainless steel, and I used a powder coated paint on it.”

He creates custom LED sticks inside “that is one color of light, but when it comes through the layers of glass, you get these different saturated colors,” he explained.

He has a similar outdoor installation in Sun Valley, Idaho.

Other pieces using different materials such as wood, acrylic and polished brass can be found worldwide, including in Louis Vuitton stores in London and Vienna.

“I sell through two galleries that represent me, and I’ve had shows with this work in it,” Gagnon said. “I often make them about 7 feet, and people put them in their homes.”

When he comes to Sioux Falls this week to assemble the piece — it’s being shipped in about 100 pieces — it won’t be his first trip. His sister-in-law grew up on a farm not far away, and he was here two decades ago for the wedding.

“We’re so impressed with Matt’s work, and we think it’s going to become a statement piece when you approach the development,” said Anne Haber, co-owner of Cherapa Place developer Pendar Properties.

Nearby in the courtyard shared by all four Cherapa Place buildings, Twin Cities artist Atom Pechman will be installing Cherapa Fireball, a steel piece that stands 74 inches tall and 63 inches across.

“It’s a geodesic dome fireball made out of a weathering steel on the outside that then will rust and stop when it’s a brilliant orange-red,” he said. “It’ll be a gathering point for sure.”

It also will be functional, serving as a large fire pit for the courtyard.

“We love Atom’s work and are excited to bring it to the development in a way that our residents and visitors can regularly engage with it,” Haber said. “We want to be a year-round destination, and features like firepits allow us to extend the outdoor living season.”

Both artists were sourced for Cherapa Place by art consultant Ivy Oland Dandar of Oland Arts Consulting.

“I think Sioux Falls is really going to appreciate the diversity of their work and how additive these pieces are going to be to the development and to downtown,” she said. “They’re both outstanding artists, and we’re glad to be able to introduce Sioux Falls to them.”

Pechman is originally from Wisconsin and attended the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, which brought him to the Twin Cities. He specializes in creative fabrication and design, everything from sculptures to light fixtures and bar backs. He worked on the bar at Vinyl Taco and anticipates future downtown projects here.

“I’m excited to come back and spend a little more time in Sioux Falls,” he said.

His Cherapa Fireball was inspired by similar pieces he created for the Malcom Yards development in the Twin Cities.

“Ivy went to Malcom Yards and said they’re awesome and called me, and that brings us to where we are today,” he said.

The pieces build on Cherapa Place’s growing collection of art, which began with the iconic buffalo sculpture at the entrance to the original building.

“We have a commitment to art throughout Cherapa Place,” Haber added. “Throughout our buildings, you’ll find local artwork in multiple mediums, and we anticipate becoming a growing part of the annual SculptureWalk.”

Stay tuned for updates throughout the week as the newest pieces are installed!