Over the past several months, Friends of Patterson Park has been working with East Austin artist Jennifer Chenoweth on the proposal to donate her sculpture Dance of the Cosmos to our park. The city’s Parks and Recreation Department recently approved a final location, and Chenoweth has received a grant from the Austin Parks Foundation to fund the refurbishment and relocation of the sculpture.

APF will host a check presentation ceremony and discussion of next steps at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, January 25th, and FoPP members and neighbors are invited to attend. We will meet at the corner of Schieffer Ave. and Airport Blvd., where the sculpture will be installed. Work is expected to begin in Spring 2017.

About the sculpture

Dance of the Cosmos was inspired by Robert Putchik’s Theory of Emotions and a Tibetan lotus mandala. XYZ Atlas, a Hedonic Map of Austin, an interactive public art about our collective experiences. The sculpture has a footprint of 20 feet and is 8 feet tall when the flower is closed. The piece is currently on loan to the Elizabeth Ney Museum in Hyde Park. Dance of the Cosmos was created in 2015 in part with a grant from the City of Austin’s Cultural Arts Division.

About the artist

Jennifer Chenoweth is a visual artist and entrepreneur. She is the principal of Fisterra Studio, creating contemporary abstract painting and sculpture. Chenoweth studied Painting and Sculpture at the Kansas City Art Institute, has a master’s degree from the “Great Books” program at St. John’s College in Santa Fe, and holds an M.F.A. in Painting from The University of Texas at Austin. She has curated a group show at her studio and home for the East Austin Studio Tour since its inception in 2003. Her art is in the Public Collection at the Houston Hobby Airport and she has shown extensively in Austin, San Antonio, Kansas City, and at art fairs in London, Miami, New York, and Santa Fe.

Chenoweth served as a panelist for the City of Austin’s Art in Public Places and served as Design Team Artist for the East 7th Street Corridor Project, advising for the African-American Cultural Center and the new Central Library. She has received honors for her work from the City of Austin and Giving City. She recently served as the Vice Chair of the Arts Commission, appointed from District 3 to help advocate for creatives in Austin. (Source: fisterrastudio.com)

Photo credit: Michelle Atkinson