ST PAUL, Minnesota — A St. Paul studio known for its public art pieces across the world is getting ready to begin work on a record-breaking installation.
"When I came here, as they say, 'Go big or go home,'" said Alan Milligan, who moved to St. Paul from Ireland.
Alan serves as lead designer of sculptures for The Milligan Studio while his wife, Nicole Milligan, is the CEO and lead designer in glass.
"We make huge celebrations of community. We make public art and we make it all over the world. We've had our work in Paris; we've had our work in Ireland... we just make these joyous, colorful reminders that we're all in this together," Nicole said.
The couple started their studio in the Cathedral Hill neighborhood in 2017. Since then, they've made about 30 sculptures.
"I like to think it's a way for people to communicate with each other and go places that they wouldn't go to go see this art," Alan said.
Currently, they're working on a public art installation called "The Weight of Water" that will be located near Cascade Lake in Rochester. It will be about 38 feet long and 20 feet high.
"It's basically a boat that just hangs in the sky with these huge ores that are 13 feet of glass. So these beautiful feather ores... it's madness," Nicole said.
While that project is soon wrapping up, the process for their next piece starts in the beginning of next year near Rugby, North Dakota.
The installation is part of a statewide Creative Placemaking program developed by the North Dakota Council on the Arts called "Arts Across the Prairie: Placemaking in Rural North Dakota."
The project involves creating eight large-scale art installations for each geographic region in the state that reflect the area's unique history, landscape and cultural heritage.
"So "Sky Dreaming," this 100-foot sculpture that's 20 feet tall and 100 feet long is going to be the largest glass and steel sculpture in the world, located in rural North Dakota. It's called "Sky Dreaming" because 58% of the waterfowl in America passes into this area and winters I guess in the prairie potholes," Nicole explained. "It's just an amazing tribute to the people of North Dakota who live out in this place."
Nicole said it will be a huge effort that will involve working with 10-15 artists in North Dakota. They'll also train people to teach them how to weld, design and make glass.
"We really believe that sculptures are not just a beautiful thing," Nicole said. "That's wonderful that they're beautiful but it also can be an economic engine."
For the holiday season, The Milligan Studio is open and selling smaller glass pieces, as well as items from other artists.
"We're working this year with Ukrainian textile artists and also artists from Nepal. We're making these incredibly beautiful scarves. We also have some Irish artists... my husband being from Ireland... it's all vibrant. You can't get it on Amazon. You can't get it anywhere else," Nicole said.
The Milligan Studio is open every Saturday and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. now until Christmas or until they sell out.
The Milligan Studio
459 Selby Avenue
St. Paul, Minnesota
651-756-7683