Summer of Sparky

Dock & Paddle Como Park

ARTIST: Nickyworks Studio
LOCATION: Dock & Paddle Como Park
SPONSOR: Logix Transportation, a subsidiary of Berger Moving & Storage
Be a Stud Puffin and protect our oceans

ARTIST MESSAGE: For some years I have created paintings of endangered and at-risk marine animals. Atlantic puffin populations are in decline because of declining herring populations. This is caused by factors such as overfishing and warming waters. Ideally, adult puffins feed herring to their chicks. But as a result of diminishing populations of these fish, a significant number of chicks are starving. There are no other fish that fit in puffin chick’s beaks and mouths as well as herring. I’d like very much for the public to be more aware of this issue and question the need for trawler fishing and for the over-reliance on lifestyles that lead to the warming of our planet.

CHS Field

ARTIST: SIG
LOCATION: CHS Field
SPONSOR: KSTP
Deep water can be scary, but pollution is scarier

ARTIST MESSAGE: Being from the Midwest, I feel it is easy for us to forget about our deep-water friends in the Pacific Ring of Fire, and off the coast of South Africa. This painting, through Sparky, brings awareness and familiarity to the deep.

Pop-up Event August 17!

Como Visitor Center

ARTIST: Christopher Straub
LOCATION: Como Park Zoo and Conservatory Visitor Center
SPONSOR: McGough Construction
Keep the planet clean, it’s the only one we’ve got

ARTIST MESSAGE: This ribbon and floral motif is made to show that the land and sea are interconnected and we need to work to conserve both.

Cleveland Court at Como

ARTIST: Ashley Hay
LOCATION: Cleveland Court at Como Park Zoo and Conservatory
SPONSOR: SPIRE
Whether fresh water or salt water, all marine life deserves a clean home

ARTIST MESSAGE: My concept was to have both local and ocean sea life displayed to show that local conservation efforts can tie in to make an impact on ocean conservation efforts.

Minnesota Children’s Museum

ARTIST: Geno Okok
LOCATION: Minnesota Children’s Museum
Ocean pollution is an over-whale-ming problem. Let’s fix it together

ARTIST MESSAGE: Even though whaling is outlawed in most countries, it is still a large issue around the world. Whales are an incredibly important part of the oceans ecosystem as they help to keep smaller animal populations in check.

Pop-up Event August 13!

City House

ARTIST: Joan Porter-Einsman
LOCATION: City House
From the kelp to the fish, it is all important, and it all needs our help

ARTIST MESSAGE: I have developed my visual language over several years. My inspirations include nature and life itself. My design is a colorful Sparky with her companions, foods, environment needed for survival and a good life.

Pop-up Event August 27!

Minnehaha Falls

ARTIST: Charles Caldwell
LOCATION: Minnehaha Falls
Plastic: Out of the ocean and into the bin

ARTIST MESSAGE: Nothing is more beautiful and peaceful than stopping to watch a sunset. My goal with this piece was to remind people how wonderful sunsets over the ocean are and how important it is to keep our oceans clean to preserve that scene.

RBC Gateway

ARTIST: Josh Eller and Emma Gottschalk
LOCATION: RBC Gateway in Minneapolis
We need marine life just as much as it needs us

ARTIST MESSAGE: The design depicts sea life and harmony in the underwater ecosystem in contrast with the plants and animals slowly breaking down and disappearing. As the design wraps around the statue, the sea life gradually dissolves into abstract forms. We wanted to depict the beauty of the ocean alongside the consequences of not protecting it.

Pop-up Event August 24!

Science Museum of Minnesota

ARTIST: Emilee Lund
LOCATION: Science Museum of Minnesota
Our oceans are beautiful and teeming with life. It’s up to us to keep it that way

ARTIST MESSAGE: “This design showcases the different animals along the coast where sea lions migrate, while displaying the bright colors of the tide pools and reef below.”

Pop-up Event September 11! Click HERE for details!

Arlington Hills Community Center

ARTIST: Emily Klesel
LOCATION: Arlington Hills Community Center
The smallest creatures can play big parts. They are all important and they are all precious

ARTIST MESSAGE: My design idea consists of covering the Sparky statue with different species of marine invertebrates to show off the sheer biodiversity of an often overlooked but ecologically important kind of marine animal. I specifically wanted to include marine invertebrates that are of conservation concern or are facing some sort of anthropogenic threat (such as coral bleaching or starfish wasting syndrome). Each invertebrate is placed based on what depth they reside in.

Pop-up Event August 15!

Como Harbor at Como Zoo

ARTIST: Bryana Fleming
LOCATION: Como Harbor at Como Zoo
If we don’t do our part, who will?

This statue is on loan from the Aquarium of the Bay in San Francisco and in called “In Our Hands”.

Como Park Playground

ARTIST: Alexandra Motz
LOCATION: Como Park Playground in the West Picnic Grounds
Please keep the sea plastic free

ARTIST MESSAGE: An abstract piece depicting the bright vivid colors of reefs and the ocean’s wildlife.

Como Regional Park Pool

ARTIST: Jennifer Gravrok, PhD
LOCATION: Como Regional Park Pool
We depend on the oceans more than we know. It is on us to preserve it

ARTIST MESSAGE: Anthrozoology teaches us that humans and animals are intimately connected. This design contains a single continuous squiggle that intricately wraps around the body of the sea lion, never overlaps and always comes full circle, just like life. The childlike simplicity of the design and bright colors play tribute to the naïve nature of the natural world.

Join us for a Sparky Pop-up event August 17

Gateway Park

ARTIST: Pamela Kirton
LOCATION: Gateway Park
Our ocean is fragile and precious thing. We all need to work together to fix what has been broken

ARTIST MESSAGE: My concept was to paint Sparky to look like fine blue and white China. The delicate look denotes how precious our environment is.

Join us September 17 for a Sparky Pop-up Event! Details by clicking HERE

Harriet Island

ARTIST: Aiyana Beaulieu
LOCATION: Harriet Island
Ocean conservation is a way of life and sustainability is the only way through

ARTIST MESSAGE: This design features the Pacific Northwest Indigenous formline art, using the traditional colors of red, green-ish blue and black. I choose this design to highlight the way of life of indigenous communities across the world that reflect sustainability. Particularly in the Pacific Northwest Coast and the efforts of tribes there that have been utilizing practices to help marine life and sustain the waters for generations. Within conservation indigenous voices are not always heard, but as the original stewards of the land it’s crucial to recognize traditional knowledge within protecting and preserving the waters. Sparky’s back features an abstract water flow with silhouettes of fish, representing the free flow of salmon, a very important part of the ecosystems of both fresh and salt water as well as the vital importance of clean waters. Many communities rely on the oceans; we must take care of them as they give so much to us.