Client: City of Burnsville

Overview

“Centrifuge” is a monumental abstract sculpture conceived with elegance and grace for the City of Burnsville and the Burnsville Foundation. The sculpture is the centerpiece for the City’s Nicollet Commons Park and the Heart of the City Development. Centrifuge anchors the dramatic water feature that cuts diagonally through the park. Located at 12559 Nicollet Ave., Burnsville, MN 55337. Materials: Bronze, Stainless Steel, Red Granite, Sandstone. Dimensions: 12’ H x 10’ L x 10’ W.

Goals

The goal of the project was to provide a public art element that would metaphorically represent the aspirations of the City and its efforts to create a distinctive civic center. Heart of the City is the new downtown Burnsville. The development, which began to take its current shape in 2000, includes residential, retail and public spaces as well as a performing arts center. Nicollet Commons Park, located within the development, is one of the first "town square" style parks to be developed in the Twin Cities metro area suburbs. The park also features a 250-seat amphitheater for concerts and events, open green space and the dynamic water feature. The entire development was touted as “as a true community gathering space.

Process

The project involved collaborating with Geoff Martin ASLA, Senior Landscape Architect and Urban Planner, to conceive and place the artwork in the Park. The elevated sculpture was carefully scaled and integrated into the site. Clark Engineering and Commercial Aquatic Engineering also partnered on the project, assisting with the internal armature, footing, and the water feature components for the sculpture. The design of “Centrifuge” utilizes negative space to create a form that is expansive and expresses both mass and transparency. The artist’s design includes the stainless steel bowl, red granite base and the sand stone surround. The artwork has become the focal point of Nicollet Commons Park and symbolically represents the character and spirit of Burnsville. Other elements created for the park‘s water feature include bonze fish and frogs located at the water wall.

Additional Information

Geoff Martin is an award winning landscape architect and urban designer. He was the senior architect for Heart of the City and Nicollet Commons Park, in Burnsville MN, which won the 2006 Award of Excellence from the MN Society of Landscape Architects. In 2013 Heart of the City and Nicollet Commons Park received a “Great Places Award” by the MN ULI and Sensible Land Use Coalition. “Centrifuge” is the featured public art element within park.