By Patricia Platt

“There is an ability for sculpture to move people in a unique way when they’re engrossed in looking at it and everything else falls away. It’s called the silence of sculpture,” commented Norfolk’s Jon Riedeman when he unveiled his sculpture of a Great Horned Owl on Sept. 17 at an event for supporters of the Norfolk Community Association (NCA). The evening was hosted by Joel Howard and Tracy Tucker in their restored 19th-century barn and was attended by 90 guests.

The NCA commissioned the work as its first public sculpture installation. Doreen Kelly, co-president, with Barry Webber, of the NCA, explained, “We wanted to have a local sculptor create our first piece and Jon came to mind as the person who could create art that relates to Norfolk and is pleasing to many people in town. We only told him that we wanted an owl and we didn’t direct his artistic creativity. We are very pleased with Jon’s result and think it clearly meets our goal to enhance Norfolk’s reputation as a place where art meets nature.”

The sculpture is a work-in-progress. The photograph shows a plaster version of the owl that will soon get legs and feet. Riedeman estimates that it will take another five months to complete the lost-wax casting process that will result in a bronze sculpture with a classic golden-brown patina. The NCA plans to install the completed sculpture in City Meadow, hoping that when people see the bird they will want to go down to view it up-close and enjoy its realism.

NCA’s long-term plan is to install public artworks throughout Norfolk, creating a trail of art. “Our goal is to connect Norfolk’s village pathways with visual points of interest to encourage public exploration and engagement,” stated Kelly. The NCA hopes that the trail of artwork will help address the challenge of pedestrians crossing heavily-trafficked Route 44 to access the village green. Installing sculptures throughout other areas of Norfolk will knit all the town together more closely. “We are hoping to get people involved and engaged enough to want to move on to see the next artwork,” Kelly explained. “In the process, they will learn about Norfolk, enjoy Norfolk, have lunch here and participate in a way that helps the community as a whole.”

Said Reidiman, “I’m so impressed with how well the committee is including the whole town, not just one slice of the population, in planning this.” NCA board member Walter Godlewski added, “There are so many voices in this town, and we want to hear from everyone: town people, Yale and all people who have a vision of what they would like. We hope to install permanent sculptures and temporary pieces that are only up for a month or so.”

The NCA sculpture trail is meant to highlight existing historic monuments as well as create new points of interest. The trail will include the memorial commemorating September 11 located in front of the Norfolk Fire Department that was created from an I-beam from the World Trade Center. Another historically significant structure is the 1921 WW1 memorial on Memorial Green. While the green itself is not a proposed site, Godlewski said, “there is a gorgeous view across Route 44 of Buttermilk Falls, which may be a perfect location for a future artwork.”

Said Kelly, “People don’t realize what art does for their soul. Whether a child or adult, it’s an incredible thing to see art, look at art, interpret it yourself and enjoy it. That’s the thing we’re hoping to do with this. We chose an owl because it’s indigenous to Norfolk and it relates to the Norfolk library’s owl symbol.” Riedeman added, “Owls hold a duality in our imaginations as both wise and fierce predators, and I found it to be a big challenge to capture both of those things in the same sculpture. I am thrilled that I can create such a sculpture for my hometown.” The NCA plans to install the sculpture in Spring 2023.

The non-profit NCA was started in 1895 to beautify the town. Today’s numerous NCA projects include public plantings, monument restorations, holiday trees and lighting and veteran tributes on Norfolk’s village and memorial greens. In recent years, under the leadership of Joel Howard, the group was re-energized with projects such as the restoration of the Alfredo Taylor railroad gate by the Norfolk Library. Webber and Kelly took over three years ago as co-presidents and spearheaded such projects as the restoration of the WW1 monument and the fountain on Norfolk Village Green and now the artwork installation project. Said Webber, “The Norfolk public has been so supportive of the NCA’s past projects, and since all our work continues to be reliant on public support, we are hopeful for generous response for this new art initiative.”