Passage unveiled at The Steel District

An almost 30-foot addition to the downtown skyline is ready for visitors.

The new sculpture Passage weighs 20,000 pounds and is at The Steel District in the center of the roundabout in front of Ironwood Steakhouse.

The piece was designed by Colorado artist Christopher Weed and depicts a keyhole positioned east and west so the rising sun shines through in the morning and the setting sun is captured in the evening.

It was unveiled Thursday night.

Photos by Paul Schiller, Acts of Nature

A sculpted “punch-out” from the keyhole will be installed along the River Greenway but is portable enough that it can be moved around town or even to locations out of town.

“I envisioned a gateway sculpture that spoke to new beginnings,” Weed said in a statement. “We went with a color that will give a spectacular day and nighttime presence and a design that harkens back to the foundation of The Steel District because the team wanted something timeless.”

Weed was selected through a competitive process involving artists from across the country.

His work will be among dozens of public art installations that ultimately will be part of The Steel District, which was developed by Lloyd Cos. The property north of Sixth Street along the Big Sioux River was part of Sioux Steel Co. for more than a century.

“We believe in the power of art and what it brings to a community and wanted to ensure the development reflected that,” said Scott Rysdon, CEO of Sioux Steel. “I feel great about how we’ve been able to pull so many pieces together, especially this one.”

As development of the area began, the Rysdon family and the Lloyd family committed to investing $1 million in public art on the site and formed the Heritage Committee, with representatives from both families as well as local arts organizations. Passage represents a significant portion of the investment.

“We all wanted to ensure art was a central part of the development, and we decided to focus much of our energy on a central piece like this,” said Christie Ernst, president of property management for Lloyd Cos.

“It’s a bold piece. You feel like you’ve arrived when you see it, and that’s similar to how people are telling us this development is affecting them already.”

Washington Pavilion Management Inc.’s art curators helped work through the selection process that led to Passage, beginning with a pool of almost 100 artists that was narrowed down to a few finalists.

“Christopher Weed’s artwork is unique as a whole because he transforms the idea of ordinary objects into extraordinary, monumental sculptures,” said Jana Anderson, lead curator.

“The scale of his work invites curiosity and immediately has a high impact. This piece will activate the outdoor space of The Steel District in such an iconic way.”

Lloyd Cos. co-founder Craig Lloyd was able to preview the piece before he died earlier this year.

“When we revealed this, I was so nervous about what his commentary would be, but he was really happy with it,” Ernst said.

While the piece was fabricated in Colorado and transported to Sioux Falls, the painting was done on-site in a building that remains on the Sioux Steel property.

“We have a big warehouse and have painted sculptures in the past, so it was a good fit,” Rysdon said. “I think we’ll be doing several more smaller sculptures in the development, and we’d love to have people do all or part of them on-site if it works out, so that effort is ongoing.”

The sculpture has a yellow hue that harkens back to Sioux Steel’s signature color. The sun will shine through from the east in the morning and the west in the evening, “so there’s the symbolism of new beginnings and finality,” Weed said. “They wanted something timeless, and I think this achieves that.”

While on-site, Weed welcomed two high school welding students to help with painting and also engaged with art students at Augustana University.

He has been working on public art projects since 1998, including internationally, and said the experience working with the team in Sioux Falls was impressive.

“I hadn’t been here before and didn’t know what to expect,” he said. “I had done my homework online, but I was very impressed by how progressive the city is, the beautiful architecture and how impressive the new Steel District is.”

Going forward, there will be more pieces of art added to The Steel District. Inside the Canopy by Hilton hotel, there’s a stop on this year’s SculptureWalk, and the plan is to further expand that partnership in the years ahead.

“Art should be uplifting, and we’re making a statement about that on the eastern half of the state — who we are and what we’re going to be,” Rysdon said. “The sculpture is called Passage. We’re trying to unlock the future.”