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Commission approves installation of Teresa Baker’s ‘Abundant’ along downtown Riverwalk
Summary
The commission approved a proposed donation and site plan for a cast‑bronze sculpture titled Abundant; the Friends of Sculpture will purchase and install the piece with site amenities partially funded from the Riverwalk budget.
Mike, a commission member, presented a proposed donation from the West Bend Friends of Sculpture for a cast‑bronze work titled Abundant by artist Teresa Baker and asked the commission for approval to proceed with site planning and floodplain analysis. The proposed site is the upper level of the downtown kayak launch along the Riverwalk.
Michelle Mass, speaking as a member of the West Bend Friends of Sculpture, told the commission the nonprofit would pay for the sculpture and the base and initially estimated those costs at roughly $50,000. City staff estimated additional site amenities — seating boulders, landscaping, electrical work, uplighting and security cameras — at about $17,500; those supporting items would be covered by existing Riverwalk budget funds if the commission approved moving forward. Putting those numbers together produced an estimated total project cost of approximately $67,700, with exact costs to be determined after required site plans and a floodplain analysis.
Mass described the piece as a cast‑bronze interpretation of worry or burden baskets; she said the artist is an Indigenous woman from the Plains who has a family connection to Wisconsin and that the original forms were made from willow and natural materials. Mass also noted that the Friends of Sculpture and the artist prefer the piece remain on a river and that the Friends intended to add protective measures (a small circular garden or low fence) to discourage touching.
City staff noted logistical items: a floodplain analysis is mandatory at the proposed site; the department would place visible security cameras on existing light poles and could add a second camera down the Riverwalk with the same contractor mobilization; and maintenance needs for the small planted area would increase relative to turf. Commissioners asked about vandalism risk and maintenance; staff said cameras would be in visible locations and that the Riverwalk funding could reasonably cover the amenity work. Michelle Mass emphasized that the Friends pay installation and that the work is funded by the nonprofit, not taxpayer dollars: “It’s not taxpayer dollars that goes into that,” she said.
The commission voted to approve the sculpture donation and the associated site plan work so the Friends of Sculpture could proceed with a formal site plan and floodplain analysis. The motion carried by voice vote.
