Sculpture Garden: “Wing Dam” Reception with Pete Driessen

Join sculptor and 2020 artist-in-residence Pete Driessen for a free outdoor artist talk and reception commemorating the installation of his site-specific, abstract limestone Wing Dam sculpture on Friday, August 13 from 6 – 8 p.m. in the Anderson Center Sculpture Garden, 163 Tower View Drive in Red Wing. Light refreshments will be served at the Artist Reception.

In partnership with the Anderson Center, Pete began researching, developing, and creating the sculpture during his four-week residency in August 2020. Installed on July 9, Wing Dam reflects post-modern industrial river culture and is gently aligned with the cardinal directions.

A ‘wing dam’ is a rock structure used by Army Engineers to direct flowage and navigation. Pete utilized Dolomite Limestone, geologically native to SE Minnesota river areas, to create a series of five large parallel, chevron-shaped wedges that gently shift in size. Together, the forms contrast with the flat land and abstractly evoke the contours and spirit of the confluence of the Canon and Mississippi Rivers, located just over the bluff from the Anderson Sculpture Garden.