The Norfolk City Council voted in favor of approving a sculpture that will be located on the roundabout of Norfolk Avenue and Victory Road in eastern Norfolk.
Nathan Powell, the city’s parks and recreation director, said the city worked with the public arts council and in February 2024, called for artists for an area at Fifth Street and Braasch Avenue. Five artists submitted designs, and ultimately Leslie Bruning of Omaha was selected.
Powell said as changes were made, the sculpture grew in size, prompting city officials to find a new location at the roundabout on Norfolk Avenue and Victory Road.
“We felt the height of the sculpture would be more suited for that space and that area as we look for what could potentially go on Fifth and Braasch down the road, at some other time,” Powell said.
Powell said the funds would come from a CARES Act fund of $15,000 and another fund from the city budget that is normally allocated to the arts.
Bruning, who previously lived in Wisner, wanted to go back to his roots and give back to the community. He has created many sculptures, including a 42-foot-tall sculpture in Omaha in front of the BCBS building.
The design model of the sculpture is exactly 28 inches, which artist Leslie Bruning said helps scale the actual sculpture better.
The current design for the sculpture in Norfolk is manufactured with high beams, is structurally sound and contains all steel. The 28-foot-tall sculpture — named “Finding Joy” — would be colorful with a lot of contrast.
He came up with the name because its original location was close to the park. He wanted something that would highlight the joy that comes with parks and recreation, particularly using the colors to highlight this.
“The whole concept of doing something that will bring joy is very important to me, and the color scheme works into that,” Bruning said.
Bruning said the idea is to always see how a sculpture fits into the community, and he felt that the roundabout was perfect to fit with his design. He also brought up the idea that no matter which way people are coming on the roundabout, they’ll be able to see an interesting design.
“I don’t know which is the front, and that’s deliberate. … It’s always a doubt which makes you want to keep going around to look at it,” Bruning said.
He liked the idea of the sculpture seeming small from a distance and growing in size as one approaches the roundabout. It also adds something through the “spaces between the parts.”
“As you go around it, it doesn’t obstruct your view, it dissects the view as you move through it,” Bruning said. “The space between the parts is just as important or more important than actually the metal parts themselves.”
Jan Einspahr, chairperson of the Norfolk Public Arts Council, said $25,000 had been approved from the Norfolk budget going toward public art. She highlighted other art pieces, including the owl on 25th Street and Benjamin Avenue and a sculpture on 18th Street and Pasewalk Avenue.
“We believe, with our little budget of $25,000, we have done as much as we can for the citizens of Norfolk and for visitors to come to Norfolk,” Einspahr said. “And it has made our town beautiful.”
Einspahr said she loves the idea of placing something that will be seen as you enter town.
“I hope that when people come into this town, they will find joy in this town,” Einspahr said.
Norfolk resident Scott Williams added that he believes that art and cityscapes play a huge role on whether people and businesses want to stay in a town. A sculpture that will be seen when driving into Norfolk is a good way to make a good first impression, Williams said.
He said that as someone involved in the Nebraska Cultural Endowment, he feels that public art is under attack, with funding cuts toward arts and humanities coming from the federal and state levels.
“Let’s not just jump on board with the state and federal government cutting funds for public arts,” Williams said. “Let’s instead continue to improve and beautify our community. …
“Let’s let ‘Finding Joy’ provide Norfolkans and Northeast Nebraskans traveling to Norfolk the joy to work here every day.”
Norfolkan Jim McKenzie said that he believes the money could be better spent on other necessities, such as police station renovations.
He said the city budget is already tight, especially with declining sales taxes factored in.
“What do we cut? There’s just not enough money, there’s not enough to take care of our basic needs,” McKenzie said. “We have to cut somewhere. And this seems like the one item that’s not critical to the operations of the city. We simply cannot afford it.”
He urged the council to vote against it.
“If this proceeds, it will stand as a monument to unnecessary wasteful spending, at a time when our current budget is in crisis and ignoring the concerns of hard-working Norfolk citizens who are living paycheck to paycheck,” McKenzie said.
Kara Weander-Gaster, director of the River Point Creative District, said Nebraska is investing in its creative side, with Norfolk leading the way in that.
“Norfolk is a creative community; it’s always been a creative community,” Weander-Gaster said.
She said the art piece brings the modern, highlighting the importance of the steel industry in this community. She said art ultimately offers a way for people to express themselves in ways that they normally can’t.
She pointed to an earlier exchange with the city council, where Jeff Jensen used a poem to remind people about the sacrifice of our veterans during the proclamation of National Poppy Day.
“The arts speak in a way that is unique …” Weander-Gaster said. “That’s the power of the arts.”
The council ultimately voted in favor of the sculpture.
Bruning said he is excited to start working on the sculpture. He said that he isn’t too fazed by the pushback, saying that he’s excited to present the community the final product.
“My sense is that in two years, they’ll be taking their friends over to see it and liking it. That’s usually how it turns out,” Bruning said in an interview after Monday’s council meeting.
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