'Origami Made of Steel' Takes Root in East Rockville

As warm early spring temperatures brought flowers out in Rockville last week, a large, orange-topped steel and tile sculpture blossomed on the corner of Park Road and South Stonestreet Avenue.

Wayne Healy, of Los Angeles, Calif., was in town for a three-day installation of the 12-foot-tall sculpture near the Rockville Metro station where the edge of Rockville Town Center meets East Rockville neighborhood.

The City Council voted in October 2010 to award Healy a $30,000 contract to create the sculpture.

The award was recommended by an artist nomination committee composed of members of the city's Cultural Arts Commission; leaders of the East Rockville Civic Association, Lincoln Park Civic Association and Legacy at Lincoln Park Homeowners Association; and art consultant June Linowitz.

The sculpture was selected from three finalists out of a pool of 15 local, regional and national artists.

Healy, in an interview for a upcoming story on Rockville 11, said he calls the sculpture "origami ... made of steel."

It incorporates images suggested by Rockville residents, he said, including important historical Rockville landmarks, neighborhoods and figures such as the B&O Railroad, Lincoln Park and William Gibbs.