Kiersten’s bronze plaque is about her as an artist being able to birth new ideas in her New Prague community and feel support. In the scene, on the bronze, she plants a tree (herself) by a river so as to be nourished and when she wants to or needs to move for some reason, the wings on the tree can help her move/grow and adapt to a new locations or mindsets. The background has mountains up into the sky with the stars swirling to be reminiscent of Van Gogh’s, Starry Night.
Kiersten is a Mom of two boys (Cairo and Sagan) and the wife of Stanley Shetka. She is a third-generation graduate of Gustavus Adolphus College with a triple major in Biology, Art (1990), and Art Education K-12 (2014). She continued her education at the University of North Dakota where she received her Master of Fine Arts in Sculpture with an emphasis in painting, along with a head docent-ship opportunity at the North Dakota Museum of Art, and a teaching opportunity of college classes; she taught beginning drawing and figure drawing at UND. Kiersten has been teaching art classes to elementary, middle school, high school, college, and beyond, in different capacities, since 1985. She was the art teacher at Holy Cross Catholic School K-8 for 10 years, and the art, science, and wellness teacher in Henderson, MN, at the Minnesota New Country School, elementary K-6, since 2014. Kiersten is also interested in wellness/wholeness and has trained with the Forgiveness Institute in Minneapolis about Unconditional Love and Forgiveness. Kiersten has practiced and taught about Forgiveness Facilitation since 2000.
Artist Kiersten Dahl-Shetka had a vision… “What if we built a tower and people of all ages created art to put on the tower? What if their art could create a ‘library’ of what they love about their life and their community? What if the tower could be exhibited in a public place where people could reflect on the images and their meaning? What if those images inspired them to reflect upon what they love and want for their community in the future? Imagine all the positive energy and momentum we could foster in our city through discussions using art as our vehicle.”
Kiersten envisioned the Towering to Our Future project in 2008 and brought it to fruition. She says, “With God’s inspiration and help, and a whole group of dedicated, generous, and talented people, and companies was this project able to leave the drawing table! Then it got taken down, so Kiersten had to rebuild it, restore it, and relocate it to its final home at the New Prague Library in 2022-2023!” She adds, “The whole journey was like the story of life; up and down, supported and struggled, joys, and failures, where in the end, all of the labors of love that you do for this project ended up birthing, Joy!” She hopes that it brings self-contemplation, community discussion, celebration, happiness, fun, and sparks of creativity into our community to birth new ideas about what we love about our lives and community. “What we think in our minds, and say with our mouths is ultimately where we will go in our lives!“
Steve Bruchman, Community Ed Director, 2008, asked Kiersten to write a grant to Community Education to make an outdoor sculpture for the city of New Prague. So, being a sculptor, she did. She drew a picture of a Tower with 44 bronze plaques on it (11 on each side). Each side would be a different generation about what they loved about their life and their community. North would be the intuitive and informative Elders, South would be the spicy Teenagers, West would be the wise and growing Adults, and East would be the youngest folks that she endearingly called the “littles”–with their big presence.
The next Community Ed director to work on this project with Kiersten was Amy Eich. She wrote many grants to help this project come to fruition and was a masterful supporter of the arts and education in the community. The third Community Director Kiersten was able to work with was Janelle Kirsch. She too helped this project continue to its full mission and even worked on a grant with Kiersten after Janelle retired. That was the Minnesota State Arts Board grant (2022-23). The city of New Prague has always been an accepting co-partner in this project! Ken Ondich was the first city person that I worked with, Then Mike Johnson, the city administrator, helped find the first spot in Philipps Park (2009). This year, Kyra Chapman (2023) helped with the administration of things. Kyra just started working for the city in 2022 and she is in charge of writing grants. She and Kiersten wrote a grant for the Towering to Our Future project, after it was taken down in 2022. They received the Prairie Lakes Regional Arts Council grant in 2022-23. These two grants allowed Kiersten the opportunity to rebuild, restore, and relocate the Tower.
The first Tower armature was built with Scott Equipment (2009) and drawn on a CAD system. Kiersten Dahl-Shetka sought the expertise of Scott Equipment. Folks that helped were Ron Simon, Glen Jeurissen- CAD drawing, Bob Church-welding, and Richard Lucas- supported the project.
Community Education advertised classes and wrote grants (2008-2022): with the Steve Brookman, Amy Eich, Janelle Kirsch. Kiersten had classes of about 6 people per class to create the bronze plaques from 2010-2017. Kiersten and Stanley collaborated on the bronze pours with their boys Cairo and Sagan.
Assembly and Philipps Park for the First Tower 2009-2022.
Mike Johnson, Dennis Seurer, Ken Ondich, and Bruce Reimers of the City of New Prague identified a site and coordinated the pouring of the concrete footings in Philipps Park. Bob Hrabe and Jeff Smith used a crane to place and attach the tower.
Collateral Healing Inc. Stanley Shetka built the first cap with Kiersten Dahl-Shetka. Stanley also made board material from recycled playground equipment that is on the sides of the roof cap.
Heart Park Studio Art ( my studio), Kiersten Dahl Shetka created and made the New Prague lion out of bronze and gold leaf, and took Photos of the Lion-rooftop.
Lori Creighton was the web person who worked with me on the YouTube videos about Toering to Our Future- the age groups and their work on their bronze plaques. 44 people in all. There are 11 videos with the Elders and 8 video series on the process of doing bronze with the community as a crown! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAUTjYQ1jZnCdDVKHAZSuEA
This will all be on my website that is being created by Greg Lee. He made the QR codes that will be on the sign next to the Tower. webicine.com
The Sign was created with Carrie Bruder CRB Photography. She created from the wealth of photos that she had painstakingly organized for the project. She also created the sign on her computer and we shipped it off to a sign company. I also had the professional help of Carol Hannon-Orr, Kaitlin Bruder, and Sophie Bruder.
Rebuilt, Restored, and Relocated.2022-23
Assembly and New Prague Library for the Second Tower 2023.
Kyra Chapman, Ken Ondich, Joshua Tetzlaff, and Ken Zewber organized and did the footing pour and the moving of the armature. Matt Rynda- organized events and got the pavers, Bruce Reimers helped organize events, Cory Hietz the crane man, and Curt Novotny got the light together (plus more).
Photo by: Kim Lee Crane Day! Aug 9, 2023.
Left to right: Tucker Tietz, Bob Brezina, Logan Olson, Ken Zweber, Brady O’Neil, Kiersten Dahl-Shetka, Stanley Shetka, Dennis Dvorak, Cory Heitz
The second Tower was built with the help of Chart Industries (2022-23). Joe Brinkman- VP and CFO, Andrew Maruska-engineer, Joe Flicek- machinist, Bill Lange- lead fabricator, Tony Willis fabricator, Aaron Simon- labor coordinator, Jeremy Wegener- paint procurement, Tyler Smisek- painter. The second tower is stainless still and that will help this Tower not rust.
Kiersten Dahl-Shetka and Andrew Maruska, Chart Industries, New Prague, building the Armature out of Stainless steel. 2022.
Contributors for the Relocation and Restoration: City of New Prague, Collateral Healing, Inc -Stanley Shetka, Heart Park Studio Art -Kiersten Dahl-Shetka, New Prague Area Arts Council: Den Gardner, Steve Frost, Carol Hannon-Orr, Sandi Loxton, Kiersten Dahl-Shetka, New Prague Library- Lori Weldon, New Prague Area Community Education- Sandi Loxton
Grants
New Prague Area Arts Council (2023), The Minnesota State Arts Board (2023) Prairie Lakes Regional Arts Council The Clean Water Land and Legacy Act (2023)
Bronze Casting
Each person who took the class to make a plaque for the Tower would create a concept idea about what they loved about their life. The Adults added what they wanted in their life and the Elders were given the statement, “Tell us about your life.” They all made their concept idea drawing and made that drawing out of an oil-based clay called, plasticine. They made it in a bas relief (sticking out from the surface- like a coin is low bas relief) format. Then they would make a mold from that bas-relief, and make a wax of the mold (now it is the same shape as the first object made. Then wax-weld wax sprues, vents, and a pour cup (wax artery and vein system to the wax model, and a cup to pour bronze the system). Next surround it all in a mix of plaster, grog, and silica sand- called investment. Wrap chicken wire around it, add more investment, Burn it out in a kiln until the wax melts out and it is a hollow form inside, and bury it in a sand pit with the pour cup up, heat up the bronze in a forge to 2000 degrees Fahrenheit, and pout the buried investments that now have the hollow filled with bronze. Then dig out the poured investments, shop out the bronze with bronze sprues and vents, put in water (still 500 degrees), clean off the investment, cut off the sprues, vents, and the pour cup, and clean up any flashing on the bronze plaque. The last steps are to acid bath it, patina it, and gold leaf it. Then the plaque can go on a baking and slide in the Tower! Thats All! (See: VIDEOS)
Stanley and Kiersten July, 2023.
“Towering to Our Future Restored, Rebuilt, and Relocated 2023,” before pavers and signpost in July, and after pavers and signpost in August. Dahl-Shetka said, “The summer was busy and was a labor of love for my community!”
Kiersten Dahl-Shetka installation of the sign on the post. Sept 10, 2023