Utica’s new art piece to reflect part of city’s history

UTICA — The city of Utica has purchased a new art piece to decorate the downtown.

Utica Mayor Gus Calandrino recently was part of the Leadership Macomb Public Art Panel when he discovered a piece that related to Utica.

“I was invited by Phil Gilchrist, the Executive Director of the Anton Art Center, due to Utica’s recent foray into public art with our two new murals. I was able to make some valuable connections. (One) connection (led) me to the Pig sculpture by artist Jonathan Bowling of Greenville, North Carolina,” Calandrino said in an email interview.

He said the pig sculpture appealed to him because Utica was called “Hog’s Hollow” in the early 1800s.

“Early settlers named the area ‘Hog’s Hollow’ due to the presence of wild boar. Utica was also once the home of the largest pork processing facility in North America,” he said.

Bowling has a Master of Fine Arts degree from East Carolina University and has exhibited his work all over the country. He has sculptures on permanent display in North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida and soon Michigan.

“Public art adds excitement to downtown areas. The new sculpture will help us to stimulate business growth and foot traffic in downtown Utica,” he said.

The art piece will cost the city $1,200 plus $350 for delivery and $90 for two concrete mounting pads, equaling $1,640 total. The City Council unanimously supported the purchase Jan. 10. The site for the sculpture has not yet been determined.

Gilchrist said he is always excited to see communities investing in public artwork, and he was very happy to learn about Utica’s intent to add to its collection.

“Public artwork is a great way to build a sense of community and foster feelings of pride in place. Utica’s latest sculpture even references the City’s history, helping to celebrate the past even as they move into the future — a trend we can see around Macomb County as other communities also begin using public art more and more to share with the world who they are and what it means to be a part of their city,” he said.