Town Enclosure (photos by Cody Brown, Tuck Fauntleroy, Matthew Millman and Krafty Photos)
by Ron Bernthal
The Pavilion Project is an original artwork commissioned by Jackson Hole Public Art with support from the Center for the Arts, Jackson businesses, and private donors.
The 2018 project resulted in creating a place of community engagement and a venue for artistic expression located in the heart of downtown Jackson Hole, Wyoming, in The Center Park. Part of the Center’s Creative in Residence Program, the concept was to create a gathering place that in itself was a sculptural art piece. This would in turn be used in a variety of ways, both formal and spontaneous, and always open to the public, in pursuit of artistic experiences in the open air.
The Center’s call for designs attracted ten proposals from throughout the valley’s artistic community; a blind submission process assured that the winning proposal would be selected solely on its merits. CLB Architects was granted the project on the strength of the form and function of its design, called Town Enclosure. CLB has offices in Jackson and Bozeman, Montana, with a project team consisting of architects Eric Logan and Forrest Britton.
Town Enclosure is a circular array of cross-laminated timber wall panels erected vertically and spaced to invite exploration. From a distance, the art speaks to the surrounding mountains, engages passing drivers and pedestrians and adds sculptural interest to the flat park lawn.
Its form is derived from symbols of placemaking in the Mountain West, such as fences and corrals, as well as iconic landmarks like the West Buttress of the Grand Teton. Its simultaneous transparency and opaqueness create layers of interpretation, lending depth and complexity to an otherwise simple form. True engagement happens as one moves around and within the panels. Intended as a performance and exhibition space for community artist and groups, it acts as a framework for creative discovery.
After two years in Jackson Hole (2018-2020), Town Enclosure found a new home in Bozeman’s Story Mill Community Park. During its Jackson residency, the sculpture won several national awards and was featured in numerous publications. Called “a pavilion of possibilities,” the structure, which was installed in Bozeman in November, 2020, will welcome a new group of dancers, playwrights, poets, and musical performances. “We are thrilled to see this project live on and provide a stage for creative opportunities within a new community,” said CLB Architects.
The 60-acre park, Bozeman’s largest, was designed to provide both active and passive use areas, emphasizing the site’s relationship to the East Gallatin River, Bozeman Creek, the Story Mill Historic District, and the surrounding Bridger Mountains. In addition, it features an 11,000 square-foot community center, an “adventure playground,” picnic areas, a natural amphitheater and event lawn, and a teaching garden, among other things.
Upon the conclusion of its two- to three-year display in Bozeman, the materials will be shipped back to Jackson Hole and transformed into a kid’s climbing wall at Camp Creek Inn, a resort located just outside of town in Hoback Canyon.
