Wauwatosa park unveils new natural sculpture, 'Sacred Rhythm Mother'

WAUWATOSA, Wis. - Firefly Grove Park in Wauwatosa has recently completed installing a brand new, all-natural sculpture entitled "Sacred Rhythm Mother", created by artist Justin Roberts. 

‘Sacred Rhythm Mother’ at Firefly Grove Park 

What we know:

A new sculpture has been revealed at Firefly Grove Park in Wauwatosa, right by the iconic "Mama Rosa" sculpture. This new sculpture is called "Sacred Rhythm Mother" and features a large human face emerging from the earth with an arm extending into the park, as if releasing animals to the wild. 

The sculpture was created by an artist team called Walk the Willow, and designed by artist Justin Roberts. "Sacred Rhythm Mother" was funded through room tax dollars. It stands at approximately 11 feet tall at its highest point and measures up to 18 feet wide and 22 feet long. 

The sculpture itself is also comprised of all natural materials. Buckthorn was harvested from Firefly Grove Park to be used as the base layer for the sculpture. Willow, a native species to the area, was also used to go over the buckthorn, while the metalwork in the sculpture comes from objects that were pulled from the nearby river or found in Justin's home state of Kentucky. 

Beth Gleesing, a tourism specialist for the city of Wauwatosa, stated that people are encouraged to go visit the park and walk up to the sculpture, touch it, walk inside the head, and even sit inside the little space that the sculpture's hand creates. 

Turning the park into an artistic experience

The backstory:

"Sacred Rhythm Mother" is not the first sculpture to garner attention at Firefly Grove Park. Before the arrival of the latest installation, "Mama Rosa" had made quite a name for herself in the park. 

Thomas Dambo, a Danish artist, created "Mama Rosa" from recycled materials as well. The troll sculpture was crafted with local materials from the nearby forest, according to the Discover Wauwatosa tourism site. 

Now, "Mama Rosa" has a neighbor with a similar vibe and attitude in "Sacred Rhythm Mother", and they can both be seen and enjoyed at Firefly Grove Park. 

"So one of the things I particularly love about this sculpture is it's really changing how we get to experience art. You know, one of the things we're so familiar with art is that it hangs in a frame on a wall. It's not something you can walk up to or touch. But with this sculpture, you can literally walk inside of it so you can walk into the head of the sculpture, and you can see and feel the story that the sculpture is telling us from the inside out," explained Gleesing. 

There are also artistic, decorated benches throughout the park that can be seen and enjoyed while visiting. 

What's next:

Gleesing also hinted at another art installation coming to Firefly Grove in the future. She did not go into detail, noting that an artist had not yet been selected, but that the project is planned. Gleesing also stated that a location within the park had been selected already for this next piece. 

Gleesing further explained that the tourism board hopes to see Wauwatosa continue to be known for its public arts. 

"We really want Wauwatosa to be a public arts destination. And we feel like with this second large-scale installation at Firefly Grove, it's really putting us on the map in the way we want people to experience our city," Gleesing said. 

More information on visiting Firefly Grove Park and enjoying its art and amenities can be found on Wauwatosa's city website. 

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