Aerial Landscape

This monumental work by former Lawrence University visiting professor Rolf Westphal was removed from campus for repairs in the late 2000s and subsequently spent years in outdoor storage awaiting restoration.

Conversations between Sculpture Valley and Lawrence University helped bring renewed attention to the sculpture and make its restoration a priority. With support from The Boldt Company and the work of Laurentian staff Jake Woodford and Beth Zinsli, Aerial Landscape was restored and rededicated in September 2014.

Its return is a reminder that caring for public art doesn't end when a work is installed. Preservation, restoration and thoughtful stewardship are essential to ensuring these works remain part of our community for generations.

Metamorphosis

In July 2020, Richard Wolter's Metamorphosis returned to public view—though not where we had last seen it more than a decade earlier.

The sculpture had long occupied a prominent place in Houdini Plaza, but renovations to the plaza ultimately left no suitable location for its return. When Metamorphosis was removed in 2010, no permanent relocation site had been identified.

Beginning in 2013, Sculpture Valley worked with the City of Appleton to explore possible new locations. We believed that monumental public art should remain in its original setting whenever possible—and when that isn't possible, relocation should be undertaken thoughtfully, with consideration for the prominence and context of the original site.

After nearly a decade in storage, an opportunity finally emerged along the Fox River. As plans developed for the pedestrian trestle connecting Eagle Point to the Vulcan site, the City incorporated the relocation and installation of Metamorphosis near the bridge's western landing.

In 2020, after a decade away, Metamorphosis once again became part of Appleton's public landscape—this time overlooking the Fox River.