HomeMy WebLinkAboutNov 5 - NWA Sculptures
City of Edina • 4801 W. 50th St. • Edina, MN 55424
Contact: Krystal Caron, Communications Coordinator
Phone 952-826-0347 • kcaron@EdinaMN.gov • www.EdinaMN.gov
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
New Sculptures at Centennial Lakes Commemorate Northwest
Airlines
Edina, Minn., Nov. 5, 2015 – Public art at Centennial Lakes Park expanded with three new sculptures
recognizing late Edina resident Donald Nyrop, former CEO of Northwest Airlines (NWA), and the
contributions the men and women of NWA gave to the growth of commercial aviation. The sculptures
were installed late this summer, with the final piece added in October.
The new bronze sculptures are located on the east side of the park. The first installment, called “Dreams
Take Flight,” depicts a 5-year-old boy and a 10-year-old girl perched on separate stones dreaming of the
future of aviation while playing with model airplanes, a Convair 580 and a Boeing 747. The other
sculpture is called “The Glamorous Days of Flight” and shows a family boarding an aircraft in the 1960s,
when flying was novel and prestigious.
Nick Legeros, Edina resident and winner of the 2014 Public Art People’s Choice Award for his sculpture
“Leaping Hare,” was commissioned to create the sculptures. Legeros is the artist behind many other
popular Edina sculptures, including “Reflecting on Friendship” outside the Hughes Pavilion at Centennial
Lakes Park and “The McCurdy Bench” and “Treehouse” at Highlands Elementary School.
The Edina Community Foundation served as the charitable giving partner for this enterprise, collecting
money for the sculptures from former NWA employees. The donors have also offered to “adopt” the
section of the park where the sculptures are located.
For additional information about sculptures at Centennial Lakes Park, 7499 France Ave. S., contact
Centennial Lakes Park Manager Tom Shirley at 952-607-1627 or TShirley@EdinaMN.gov.
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