A rather unusual work of public art is to be installed in Downtown Buffalo early this week. The work of art was created by metal artist Sarah Fonzi, who has managed to make her mark by creating a number of large intricate works, though this is the first significant public piece to be fashioned for Buffalo.
The 16-foot-tall, 8-foot-wide stainless steel structure, called “Spirit of Transportation” is made possible through the vision and funding from The Buffalo Renaissance Foundation (BRF). The work is designed to signify the importance of a bicycle as transportation, and its relationship with the planet as an environmentally friendly agent. The image of the bicycle can be seen morphing into a tree. Fonzi’s metal shop is currently based out of The Foundry on the city’s East Side, along with a host of other artists and artisans.
This latest accomplishment by BRF is part of a public work series that the foundation is cultivating over the span of five years. “Spirit of Transportation” is the second work to come to fruition – all total five works are being commissioned. The first work of art to be constructed is currently found at the Medical Campus. The work was created by Valeria Dihaan and is called the “Spirit of Life”. The third work of art in the series will be introduced in September of 2015. That work will be a life sized sculpture of Theodore Roosevelt that will reside at the Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site, located at 641 Delaware Avenue.
This Tuesday, August 19, 2014, Fonzi’s “Spirit of Transportation” will be unveiled at 149 Swan Street at 10:00 am. The sculpture will help to add to the growing vibrancy of Schneider Development’s latest adaptive reuse project that accommodates Apartments at the HUB, The Bike Shop, HUB Fit Studio and the HandleBar Pub and Café.