Fostering Livability Through Art, Nature and Culture (2014 – 2016) was designed to build community capacity, improve livability, enhance Conneaut Lake’s position as a destination for visitors, and establish an arts trail from Ice House Park to Fireman’s Beach. Funded with support from the National Endowment For the Arts’ Our Town program, the project was part of the Conneaut Lake Borough’s plan to revitalize three-blocks adjacent to the southwest corner of the lake, which is the largest natural in-land lake in Pennsylvania.
As part of the Our Town program, four arts-engagement events were held during which community stories about life on the lake were collected and recorded. The grant also funded one public sculpture; a life-size wooly mammoth which stands 10.5’ tall x 7’ wide, and extends 18’ from trunk to tail. The mammoth is a reference to wooly mammoths found within the lake. Excerpts from the community stories were integrated into the mammoth’s form. Another sculpture, using more of the stories, is planned as soon as funds can be located.
