Hwy 395

Standing watch over Highway 395 the sculptures depict the exploration and contact of pioneer John Fremont with the Natives living in what would come to be known as the Carson Valley. Tutto Ferro designed, built and installed these sculptures as the public art component of the highway 395 project in partnership with our good friend Eliot Drake, a mechanical engineer who’s expertise in solid works brought these sculptures from a nebulous concept to a build-able reality. The installation of the sculptures was accomplished in partnership with Q&D Construction which was incredibly helpful and understanding in helping us achieve our artistic vision for the pieces.

Evoking our shared history while symbolizing the fleeting nature of time, these sculptures transform as viewers move past them on the highway. From one angle, they appear as solid figures rooted in the landscape; from another, they dissolve into the hillside, their delicate rings vanishing edge-on. As our largest installation to date, this project stands as a testament to our artistic vision and the craftsmanship required to bring it to life.

At 1.5 times life sized, the sculptures are made out of steel rings, carefully designed to be stacked in precisely the right order at the correct spacing to bring the sculpture into being. Cut on both our plasma table and water jet, and assembled in the shop, the rings and standoffs come together to create the striking and proud figures that populate the right of way space in Carson City today.

Tutto Ferro is proud to have been involved in this project and continues to pursue artistic and sculptural projects for our region and community

Hwy 395

Beaujolais

Palladio