New sculptures adorn the Canyons Village as part of long-term art plan

You may have noticed 'The Ribbon' driving into the Canyons Village, but there are two other new sculptures brightening up the Village. Photo: Arts Council of Park City & Summit County.

PARK CITY, Utah — The Canyons Village now has three new sculptures by local sculptors and partners Nathan Pierce, David Wiener, Harris 3D Studio, and Identity Signs. You may have noticed The Ribbon already as it greets drivers at the Canyon’s entry roundabout.

“These are monumental, eye-popping pieces of art,” said Tony Tyler, partner at Canyons Village developer Columbus Pacific and member of the Canyons Village Management Association (CVMA) Design Review Committee. “There’s no doubt they will provide a vibrant addition to Canyons Village as a whole and serve as focal points where people gather.”

Bluebird by Nathan Pierce. Photo: Arts Council of Park City & Summit County.

Missouri-based Pierce looked to the renowned ski area’s many attributes, especially the amount of sun it receives on a typical winter day. His 3D piece features colored resin panels that capture and refract sunlight on the surrounding plaza near the bottom of the Cabriolet, the open-air gondola that transports visitors between the upper Canyons Village and the Lower Village and parking lot.

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Aptly named “Bluebird”—a term used to describe a ski day marked by a cloudless sky—the sculpture offers a different experience from one angle to the next.

Pierce specializes in large public sculptures and, whose work is on display everywhere from Chicago to Florida, considered “what it is that we remember about outdoor adventures and natural brilliance” for Bluebird.

Grand Prix by David Wiener. Photo: Arts Council of Park City & Summit County.

Parkite David Wiener’s creation is a nod to Park City’s Olympic and ski racing history.

Called “Grand Prix,” the piece is comprised of three offset, curved columns and is located between the Village’s Forum and the new Pendry Plaza. The sculpture “honors the excitement and suspense of movement as it relates to winter sport and the reward of achieving beautiful, arcing turns on a mountain as extraordinary as Park City Mountain,” he said.

“My choice of three towers is inspired by competition and the gold-, silver-, and bronze-winning positions in sport,” said Wiener, whose background is in car design and auto racing. “The circular oculus at the top of each tower represents the sun shining down on each athlete carving turns on the way to glory.”

The Ribbon by Harris 3D Studio, Identity Sign, and John Simmons.

For “The Ribbon,” John Simmons, CVMA Planning & Operations and Design Review Committee Manager, approached Harris 3D Studio and Identity Signs with a 2D concept to install at the roundabout at the entry of Canyons Village.

“All involved agreed this concept was the one—a simple-yet-complicated rendition of the logo that would greet all visitors that entered the Village,” said Brent Albers of Identity Signs. “And as they circle the roundabout, the more iconic it becomes. From straight-on, the piece is a simple example of the Park City logo. As you move around the piece, see the varying arcs and slopes; the art becomes more complicated, yet simply endless.”

The three sculptures are integral parts of CVMA’s long-term public art plan for Canyons Village, which is also slated to include a self-guided art walk highlighting all the Village has to offer.

Pierce and Wiener were selected from dozens of applicants from all over the country by members of the Canyons Village Design Review Committee, staff, and key stakeholders. The group chose the two based on a set of criteria that included overall PROJECT height, available footprint, desired theme, and materials used.

“We hope that the placement, size, materials, and thought process around each piece will stimulate conversations and leave our visitors with a smile on their faces,” Tyler said. “I know when I see them, it makes me happy.”