For St. Paul Saints’ co-owner Mike Veeck, the new Lowertown Ballpark in Minnesota’s capital city isn’t just about baseball. It’s about good design, too.
While construction on the $63 million project isn’t expected to begin until April, the ballpark is already well on its way to getting some great art.
Futures North, a Twin Cities collaborative design and build team, put together proposals for two interactive art installations at the new baseball park. Now it’s up to you to vote on your favorite. Check out the two ideas below and cast your ballot here before 5 p.m. on March 5 to help decide the future of what kind of art fans will see at the new stadium.
Option 1: Field Condition
This wall-mounted sculpture is made up of 735 aluminum baseball bats embedded with LED lights on the end. Futures North held batting practices across the state to crowd source swing patterns of baseball and softball players of all backgrounds and ages. This data served as the inspiration for lighted animations to be projected from the LED bats.
All images and videos courtesy of Lowertown Ballpark
Option 2: Meander
The shape of the Mississippi River and its 28 locks served as the inspiration for the second design. Meander is comprised of 28 fabricated glass and masonry (lime and silica harvested from the Mississippi River Valley) pillars topped with LED lights that change and react to water conditions of the river and to the presence of those viewing the piece.