A new sculpture is headed to the mighty Mississippi to mark 100 years of Rotary

The State Capitol, the Old State Capitol and the Governor’s Mansion are some of the go-to landmarks for downtown visitors. Members of the Rotary Club of Baton Rouge hope to add a new must-see spot to that Baton Rouge bucket list: a striking sculpture on the Mississippi River levee.

To celebrate its 100-year anniversary, the service club of business and professional leaders commissioned an interactive, spherical sculpture to sit atop the levee at the Florida Street riverfront access point. Once unveiled later this month, the structure by California-based artist Po Shu Wang will be can’t-miss-it large—we’re talking 14 feet tall.    

The sculpture was almost complete as of press time, but the timing of its unveiling hinges on final approval from the city, according to Beau Olinde, chair of Rotary’s Centennial Committee. The club is pushing for the sculpture to be revealed by Oct. 18 to coincide with their official 100th anniversary party at the Hilton Baton Rouge Capitol Center, just walking distance from the levee.

The multifaceted art piece will consist of one sphere in the center and two partial spheres surrounding it. The sculpture will be reflective—think “The Bean” in Chicago—and light up at night.

But most impressive is its ability to interact with the surroundings. The sculpture will be connected to sensors in the Mississippi River and play music that corresponds with the rise and fall of the water. Olinde says the first draft of the music was more placid than the committee preferred, and the artist is now working to find music that more accurately captures the “robustness” of the river.

Olinde says the project has been a long time coming, having been in the works for more than five years. Deciding a sculpture was the best way to commemorate 100 years of service was only the first step.

The committee then had to select from 120 submissions from artists around the world. After several rounds of interviews, the committee chose a design by Wang, whose location-specific pieces often are based on places he’s never visited.

The $350,000 sculpture has been funded entirely by the club and its members. Olinde says they wanted the art to be a gift from the club to the city.

Apart from the sculpture, Rotary will celebrate its 100th birthday by organizing several service-centered and donation-based projects in increments of 100, such as blood donations. rotarybr.org

This article was originally published in the October 2018 issue of 225 Magazine.