On Friday, the new large scale artwork named “Sense of Place” was installed in the roundabout on Carson Street as the entryway to downtown.
The art is the city’s first commissioned art piece, according to Mayor Lori Bagwell. The sculpture was paid for through tax levied from Carson City hotels, which specifically pay for redevelopment and art, and grants.
Have questions about how this is funded and why it can’t be used for road funding? We answer that here.
The artwork was a multi-year project, beginning with the formation of the Arts Master Plan, and eventually leading to the city receiving proposals from artists both local, region — and even outside the country for the gateway sculpture.
“Our community has spoken, and they said ‘Hey, art is important in our community,'” Bagwell said.
Artist Karen Yank and her proposal for Sense of Place was selected, although some alterations were eventually made. The largest change is that the proposal initially included a bristlecone pine, but the Board of Supervisors asked for it to be changed to a cottonwood.
The sculpture is made of stainless and corten steel, and measures 20 feet tall by 23 feet wide.
Other symbols include the Carson City Liberty Silver Dollar, which was first minted in 1870, the Sierra Nevada mountain peaks, the Nevada Capitol Dome, a golden eagle, and patterns derived from the Washoe Tribal Seal.
Yank described the artwork as a shift between the history of the city to its a present state, and a combination of government, nature, and arts and culture.
During the ribbon cutting, Yank presented Bagwell with a unique smaller version of the sculpture made of the same materials as the larger version. In addition, Yank herself was presented with a Carson Now wooden banner.
The approval of the sculpture was a contentious one in January 2024, with many commenters asking why the city would be investing in art when some roads in the city need repair.
However, as was confirmed after the ribbon cutting by the mayor, money for art and money for roads are not from the same pot. The city typically sources grants and other funding methods for art, and the sculpture itself used redevelopment funds to pay for its design and installation.
Bagwell and Yank thanked all those involved with the process, including the community members that provided feedback on what kinds of art and what symbols they wanted to see in the final product.
Yank said that she fell in love with Carson City on her first visit, and she feels that love is shown through “Sense of Place.”
Supervisor Lisa Schuette said investing in public art is a way to allow people to celebrate together.
“Art is beautiful, it’s thought-provoking, it’s intriguing, and in this case it celebrates our sense of place,” Schuette said. “I’m just thrilled. I think of other places I love to visit and part of what is so fun to visit is artwork and those points of interest. I think it’s wonderful.”
When asked if we would be likely to see more art investments in years to come, Schuette said she said believes we will — though perhaps not to the same large scale as “Sense of Place.”
“But I think we have such wonderful art community, and with culture and tourism, those are coming together now with things like our murals walking tour,” Schuette said.
You can view Sense of Place atop the downtown roundabout at the intersection of South Carson St. and Stewart.
