Bloomington unveils 35-foot-tall steel sculpture by local artist James Brenner
Titled Convergence, the sculpture is part of the South Loop Creative Placemaking
Initiative
For Immediate Release
Thursday, August 20, 2015
Contact:
Janine Hill
Communications Administrator
(952) 563-8819
[email protected]
Bloomington, Minn. (August 20, 2015) – The City of Bloomington unveiled the latest art
installation in the South Loop neighborhood today, a 35-foot-tall steel, glass and light sculpture
by Minnesota artist James Brenner.
Brenner was commissioned to create the piece after submitting his idea through a 2014
Creative Placemaking competition. Built as a ring mounted on top of a pedestal in the center of
a new roundabout and surrounded by local flower varieties, he named the piece Convergence
to represent the people who interact and move through the South Loop District.
“Visitors, workers and residents all converge in this space and around the South Loop every
day,” said Brenner. “This piece is meant to be shared with the public and to reflect the
intersection of pedestrian, transit, automobile, and even plane traffic. I hope that Convergence
will serve as a beacon to draw people into the South Loop.”
During the day the sculpted jade glass will shine as light passes through the steel ring, while
fiber optic LED lights will illuminate Convergence at night. The light will transitions from red to
yellow to blue, colors that represent the South Loop community: business, residents, hotel
guests and Mall of America visitors and employees.
Convergence is located in the center of a roundabout on 28th Avenue and Lindau Lane. In
addition to the sculpture itself, nearly 3,000 flowers and grasses were planted in spirals around
the piece. Jim Brenner used the plants to represent Minnesota prairie summer waves of color
and to be a food source for visiting pollinators.
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In 2013 the National Endowment for the Arts awarded Artistry and the City of Bloomington a
grant to develop a creative placemaking plan and commission a series of demonstration
projects in the area. “After the Birds Taught Me to Fly,” an original, site-specific musical theater
production was performed at the Minnesota Valley Wildlife Refuge; “The Little Box Sauna”
mobile warming place project was held at the Mall of America in front of Radisson Blu and IKEA,
a large outdoor mural was unveiled at Cypress Semi-Conductor near the Minnesota Wildlife
Refuge Bass Ponds and a bronze sculpture was installed in the plaza next to the TownePlace
Suites at 24th Avenue and Lindau Lane.
The City of Bloomington and Artistry have approved a plan and funding to promote a multi-year
creative placemaking initiative. Working with Artistry the city will create an advisory commission and
hire a part-time creative placemaking director.
About The South Loop
The South Loop is a rapidly developing neighborhood in Bloomington, which is home to
Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport, Mall of America, Bloomington Central Station and the
Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge. By 2020, on a typical day the South Loop will have
6,000 residents, 9,000 hotel guests, 35,000 employees and 115,000 Mall of America visitors.
For more information, visit www.bloomingtonmn.gov/development-districts/south-loop-district.
About Artistry
Artistry is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in the city-owned Bloomington
Center for the Arts. Artistry produces arts experiences in an accessible, welcoming setting,
serving a regional audience of more than 70,000. “Welcoming and nurturing talent” is a key part
of the organization’s mission. Artistry also provides opportunities for early-career artists to learn
and grow, and for established artists to work in new ways.
About Creative Placemaking
In 2013, Artistry launched a long-term initiative to work with the City of Bloomington, Mall of
America, McGough, Bloomington Convention and Visitors Bureau, and other partners to
harness the power of the arts to transform Bloomington’s South Loop into a vibrant, distinctive,
urban neighborhood.