The City of New Haven unveiled a piece of “functional art” on Friday from a local artist as part of the Allen County Bicentennial Celebration, which began in April and will continue through the end of the year.
The artwork, which can be found in the city’s Schnelker Park, is crafted from repurposed wind turbine blades and was painted by local artist Kim Linker to showcase pivotal moments in New Haven’s history.
The city’s community engagement coordinator RasAmen Oladuwa said New Haven has a rich history that is integral to connecting Northeast Indiana cities.
“As we grow, we still want people to know that we’re still here, we still have friendly neighbors, we still have that small town feel even as we get bigger," she said. "We’re just here to show people that when they see these benches, we still know our roots.”
The art piece doubles as a bench for people to come and sit on in the park, while also seeing a reminder of the city’s history.
On the side of the bench, a plaque reads “explore our journey from an uncharted wilderness to a thriving transportation town,” along with a QR to learn more about the events depicted on the piece.
Oladuwa said the city hopes for this to be only the first installment celebrating the history of New Haven, but they’re still looking for their next project.
