"Two Bits," by Greg Congleton, can be found in Farewell Bend Park.

I recently attended a celebration to dedicate a new art piece in Bend.

Exploring the art pieces in our community can make for an enjoyable outing if you want to seek out the connections of art and the outdoors. For a quick tour of art in parks, here are some of my favorites:

Annie Londonderry at Discovery Park

The newest piece of local public art is by Bend artist Chris Cole in the Discovery West development, and honors Annie Londonderry, the first woman to bicycle around the world. The sculpture was donated to Bend Park and Recreation District by Discovery West and is located along a trail section on the rim area of Discovery Park (315 NW Discovery Park Drive). Londonderry is one of the people honored by Discovery West’s “Women of Discovery,” all women who have made history and after whom the streets in the neighborhood are named.

The art installation is a 7-foot-high, rusted steel, inverted pyramid design that includes decorative bicycle cogs, ship windows, an illuminated image of Annie and a descriptive plaque detailing Annie’s life provided in both English and Spanish.

Honoring accomplishment, educating our community about history, and being inspired by it in the present is a lot to ask when strolling by for fresh air or passing through on your bike, but it is an impactful piece of art and very worth a stop.

‘Time’ at Larkspur Community Center

Larkspur Community Center (1600 SE Reed Market Road) celebrated its first anniversary earlier this week and features a beautiful sculpture called “Time” adorning the main entrance.

According to the artist, Carol Gold, it “depicts a stylized figure running atop a large wheel, alluding to travel, as well as the ceaseless movement of the clock.”

The structure is 13.5 feet tall, with the bronze figure measuring 6 feet high, 4.5 feet wide and 3.5 feet deep.

The total estimated weight of the structure is 1,250 pounds.

Donated to BPRD by Art in Public Places, the artwork fits the multi-generational space as a welcoming gesture to people of all ages and abilities, while also continuing the important legacy of supporting older adults at the Bend Senior Center.

Otter at Riverbend Park

The adorable otter sculpture near the beach access area at Riverbend Park (799 SW Columbia Drive) is older than the park itself. The otter was installed at Juniper Park in July 1980.

The 750-pound bronze piece was described in a Bulletin article at the time: “The 20 or so youngsters who wandered around the sculpture as it was lifted into place looked as if they could hardly wait to crawl into the otter’s curled belly.”

Art Now purchased the sculpture through a donation by Brooks-Scanlon and it was created by Ann Bannard. I’m pleased to say it continues to be a park visitor favorite more than 40 years after finding its place in a Bend park.

‘Two Bits’ at Farewell Bend Park

Local metal sculptor Greg Congleton crafted “Two Bits” as a tribute to Bend’s logging history in 2011. Striking in its scale, it is a sculpture of two draft horses pulling a log. The piece was commissioned by Phil and Penny Knight and stands prominently on the east bank of the Deschutes River (1000 SW Reed Market Road). I always admire it on my frequent river loop walks as a reminder of the community’s history. Next time you walk by, be sure to take a look at the elements Greg incorporated into the sculpture.

These pieces are only a sampling of artworks that enrich our parks and trails. BPRD works closely with partners, including Art in Public Places and others, to place art in public places and we look forward to continuing it into the future. A sculpture is underway for the forthcoming Alpenglow Community Park in Southeast Bend. A robust public input process resulted in more than 1,400 comments that contributed to the selection of Troy Pillow to create “Zenith.”

My hope is that visitors to parks and trails will take inspiration from these and other art pieces and the natural beauty that surrounds them. See more parks with art on the park locator at bendparksandrec.org and at artinpublicplaces.org.