The sculpture “Rose Crystal Tower” was commissioned by the Wyche Sculpture Committee, comprised of Wyche family members and friends, to honor Harriet Wyche, whom the garden was named for.
Wyche was a life-long Greenville resident and community volunteer, who was instrumental in establishing Falls Park, and played a critical role in its continued development over many decades.
The committee secured the majority of the funding for the purchase and installation of the sculpture, and worked with the City to obtain approval from the Falls Park Sculpture Committee, Arts in Public Places Commission and Design Review Board for its design and location. Upon installation, the sculpture will be donated to the City, which provided a portion of the funding.
The sculpture will be made of rose-colored Polyvitro, a material that Chihuly Studio creates by casting a special formula of polymer resins and dyes using molds formed from large “chunks” of glass. The Polyvitro elements are crystal-like in shape, and individual masses are attached to a central armature of powder-coated, exterior-grade stainless steel to create a tower that is over eight feet tall. The tower will be installed on a precast concrete base designed to match the benches in Harriet’s Garden.
According to Tracy Ramseur, the City’s development coordinator and staff liaison to the Arts in Public Places Commission, the sculpture will attract visitors and will further enhance the City’s diverse collection of public art. “Dale Chihuly is an internationally-known artist, and having one of his pieces will certainly put Greenville on the map in the public art world,” said Ramseur. Chihuly’s work is included in more than 200 museum collections worldwide. He has been the recipient of many awards, including 12 honorary doctorates and two fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts.
Speakers at the dedication ceremony included Mayor Knox White; Brad Wyche, son of Harriet Wyche and founder of Upstate Forever; Anna Kate Hipp, former president of the Carolina Foothills Garden Club and co-chair of the Falls Park Endowment; Paul Ellis, former City of Greenville Parks & Recreation Department director; and Ed Zeigler, chair of the City’s Arts in Public Places Commission and principal, president and CEO of Craig Gaulden Davis Architects, which was part of the design team for the area of Falls Park where the sculpture is located.