Partnerships, dialogue behind new Eighth Street Central Bank sculpture

Charles Dunlap, Columbia Daily Tribune
·2 min read
Los Angeles-based artist Pontus Willfors and Mary Wilkerson, Central Bank of Boone County vice president of marketing, prepare to cut a ribbon Friday on the newly installed sculpture 'The Conversation' at the bank's Eighth Street branch.
Los Angeles-based artist Pontus Willfors and Mary Wilkerson, Central Bank of Boone County vice president of marketing, prepare to cut a ribbon Friday on the newly installed sculpture 'The Conversation' at the bank's Eighth Street branch.

A new conversation piece now sits outside of Central Bank of Boone County's Eighth Street branch.

Bank leaders welcomed friends, community members and the Columbia Chamber of Commerce Friday for a dedication ceremony of the new sculpture "The Conversation," by Los Angeles-based artist Pontus Willfors.

"(The sculpture) takes its inspiration from the relationship between a bank and its customers," he wrote in an artist's statement. "Every commercial bank wants to be a partner in its relationship with its customers, a trusted advisor that can offer the right services appropriate for that particular customer at that particular time."

The cornerstone of this is dialogue, which is part of the symbolism behind "The Conversation," he added.

Previously: Community connections at heart of new Eighth Street Central Bank sculpture

'The Conversation,' a solid aluminum sculpture is installed outside the Eighth Street entrance to Central Bank of Boone County. A dedication ceremony for the new art piece was held Friday.
'The Conversation,' a solid aluminum sculpture is installed outside the Eighth Street entrance to Central Bank of Boone County. A dedication ceremony for the new art piece was held Friday.

The sculpture features two equally sized chairs facing each other made of solid aluminum, where their backs are made to look like the growing branches of a tree. It is 25 feet long, 16 feet high and nine feet wide.

"The dialogue happening between the two participants allows both the bank and its customers to grow together and form a single unit represented by the canopy above," Willfors wrote. "What’s good for the customer is good for the bank and together the two can grow in unison."

The bank conducted a nationwide call for artists last year after the previous sculpture "People," made of fiberglass, steel and aluminum had degraded beyond repair from when it was first installed in 1971 and subsequent repairs through the years.

Central Bank of Boone County's downtown fountain sculpture called “People” by Don Bartlett will be replaced due to deterioration. The sculpture was installed in 1971.
Central Bank of Boone County's downtown fountain sculpture called “People” by Don Bartlett will be replaced due to deterioration. The sculpture was installed in 1971.

"In 1971, a similar group got together to dedicate a piece of artwork, the 'People' statue. It was iconic over those 52 years," said Ed Scavone, Central Bank president and CEO. "... We assembled several community members who are very strong supporters of community art. Central Bank of Boone County has always had a commitment to public art. It's a great part of our community and makes Columbia special."

Mary Wilkerson, Central Bank vice president of marketing, headed up the search committee for the new sculpture and was beyond excited to have the art piece in place, she said.

"It was so heartbreaking to lose the old sculpture. There was a piece of me that thought we were never going to find something special enough. When we were doing the search for an artist and saw this piece we said, 'Oh my God. That's special,'" she said. "We are very happy and excited. It's a good day."

Willfors was born and raised in Sweden, but has lived in the United States since 1996 and studied at the California Institute of Art, graduating in 2009. Many of his art pieces incorporate organic structures, like tree limbs, into practical items, such as chairs.

Other public art pieces by Willfors can be found in Los Angeles; Santa Monica, California; Inglewood, California, where his studio is based; Anchorage, Alaska and Rockville, Maryland.

Charles Dunlap covers local government, community stories and other general subjects for the Tribune. You can reach him at cdunlap@columbiatribune.com or @CD_CDT on Twitter. Subscribe to support vital local journalism.

This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: New sculpture at downtown Central Bank branch dedicated