Manitou and Public Art

On Foot in Manitou

 

Today, I woke to discover myself in a fascinating new town called Manitou Springs.  The locals were not disturbed by my visit but very friendly, so friendly in fact that they offered me a tour of their fabulous town.  I then decided since I had my camera with me I should document this tour for posterity.

 

 

 

 

The tour began with a stroll to a park where I was told a tornado had touched down and ripped some trees apart.  To my surprise instead of pulling out the broken trees they turned them into works of art as shown above.  This is an amazing way to take remnants of a devastating event and produce something that can be shared and remembered by everyone.

 

 

 

My tour continued up the main street where I came across a sculpture in a pond that was right in the middle of a parking lot.  As out of place as it sounds, the pond and sculpture blended in so while that my local tour guide never noticed it before.  The sculpture fascinated me as two lovers danced intertwined with a waterfall behind them.  What a great piece of art to brighten a place as mundane as a parking lot.

 

Our next stop appeared to me as the center of town and at this center stands a clock tower.  As you can see in my photograph I didn't get the whole clock tower in the picture.  This is because I wanted to capture the building behind it to credit the artist who designed the tower.  This blue brick building is where the artist lives and on some occasions the artist can be seen setting by a window admiring people who pass by.

As we proceeded with the tour what would be more fitting for this joyous town than a sculpture of a jester.  We came across this piece of art in a place where the locals gathered to eat and enjoy each other's company.  This public art reflects the spirit of a town that has a happy-go-lucky atmosphere. 

 

Alas, I reach the end of my tour and the end of my time here in Manitou Springs.  What better way to describe my feeling then this sculpture of a sorrowful woman looking to the sky.  As it started to rain, it gave more meaning to this piece of art as it made it seem like she was weeping.  As I to weep, for my time in this wondrous town was too short.  Thank you.