North Amherst Library Sculpture Still Not Approved 

Report on the Meeting of the Public Art Commission, November 25, 2025

This meeting was held over Zoom and was recorded.

Present
Tom Warther (Chair), Lori Friedman, Dara Barrois/Dixon, Matthew Watkins, and
Lynne Thompson (BID Arts and Culture Coordinator). Absent: David Feinstein

Still No Decision on Long-Delayed Sculpture for North Amherst Library
Commission Chair Tom Warther acknowledged that the proposed sculpture for the North Amherst Library entitled, “For Want of a Nail” had been on the commission’s agenda in 2024, but no formal vote was taken. In 2022, the Amherst Cultural Committee awarded artist Catherine Stryker funds to design a horse sculpture from horseshoes made at the site of the North Amherst Library and found while excavating for the addition. Although the commission was presented with a preliminary design more than three years ago, members found several problems with the process and the artistic merits of the prototype when they again put it on the agenda in 2024, more than two years after the Cultural Council approved the grant for the design, construction, and installation of the proposed sculpture. Outcry from some North Amherst residents who had heard about the long delay led to the proposal being put back on the Public Art Commission’s agenda this fall. 

Lynne Thompson noted that this sculpture is a gift to the town and will be placed in the library garden in a location already agreed upon by the Department of Public Works where it would be safe from children damaging it, and children would be safe from it. It would not impede snowplowing or shoveling, either. Thompson questioned whether a gift to the town should be handled in the same way as a project that the commission itself was funding. She said she had also talked to the library staff who acknowledged that they had no role in approving the sculpture. So, Thompson asked, “What is the role of the Public Art Commission here?”

Warther stated that the commission has no policy for approving private gifts, despite members having bemoaned this fact for several years.. Thompson responded that it is the role of the commission to “make it [this public art project] happen and not be a roadblock. We should “help it along.” Commission member Lori Friedman disagreed, reminding members that they had asked for specific information from the artist that was needed for them to decide what their recommendation to the Town Manager was to be. She wanted more information as to its safety, its location, liability, long-term maintenance, and who would be responsible legally. Much of this information is now known, and the rest will be determined with funds from the Cultural Commission grant. 

Dara Barrois/Dixon, a North Amherst resident member of the commission, noted that the applicant is not the artist, so Friedman’s questions should be directed to the artist. She agreed with Thompson that the commission shouldn’t block this project. When Warther noted that ownership would be transferred to the town on completion,  Barrois/Dixon said that there is a public safety issue because the library is at a very dangerous intersection, and asked, “Why does this [project] keep coming up? I want to end it!” Matthew Watkins was more positive about the sculpture, but still felt that he needed more information to advise the Town Manager whether the town should accept an art object paid for with a Cultural Commission grant and private funds. 

North Amherst resident Hetty Startup corrected some of the misinformation. Although Startup is a member of the Historical Commission, she identified herself as a member of the District One Neighborhood Association board, which supports the memorial sculpture, and also as a member of the Mill River History Project, funded by Community Preservation Act. This history project  is designing a walking tour of the historical industries along the Mill River, which includes the horseshoe forge formerly located at the site of the North Amherst Library. She urged the commission not to delay any longer and pleaded for timely completion of their review. 

Applicant and North Amherst resident Catherine Stryker stated that when she received the Cultural Council grant in 2022, she was not aware that she needed approval from the Public Art Commission. She has now been waiting for that approval for more than three years. Thompson asked whether she had engaged a sculptor or whether there would be a request for proposals, to which Stryker replied that she would comply with the commission’s wishes. 

Warther agreed to write a memo with a list of procedural steps for approval of gifts of public art to the town, and would  send it to the rest of the members and to Stryker to re-open consideration of her project. 

Public Art Commission Website Updated
Watkins reported on the changes he has made to the Public Art Commission page on the Town of Amherst website. He determined that the town’s website is best for things that don’t change much and that the commission’s Facebook page is a better place to publicize its latest art installations. He has made a video for their approval.