About This Piece

Artist Statement: Lars Stanley writes, “In the garden, we bear delighted witness to life cycles. From seed to sprout, from blossom to fruit and again to seed, the vegetables we thought we knew from brightly lit grocery bins reveal their complexity: the spike of an okra pod, the delicate bloom of a squash plant, the spiraling geometry of cabbage leaves. In the blacksmith’s shop, we guide the transformation of raw material into artifact. The form emerges and with it, a story. Outside the garden, a path begins to emerge, following the flow past the site. The flow pauses and eddies, drawing the activity of the surrounding area and the curiosity of passersby into a place of exchange. Along the path, forged steel story poles announce the garden and reference the cycles at work within…”

The artwork features a forged steel entry gate and a series of slim, graceful wrought steel poles with abstracted garden images at the top. Fruits, vegetables in various stages of development, and images of common garden tools remind viewers of the purpose of a community garden. The story poles tell of movement and change, celebrating both the endless inventiveness of nature in a plant’s cycle from seed to fruit and the human work and ingenuity involved in cultivating that transformation. Story poles define the garden space and welcome viewers and gardeners from throughout the community. The work was not originally commissioned by the City of Denver, but was assumed into the collection from Stapleton.