Colusa High School senior Neo Harter will leave his mark on the campus long after he graduates.
Harter, to applause and “drum roll,” unveiled a large sculpture on April 4 that is a depiction of the local community.
The sculpture was placed in the quad area walkway, near the entrance to the gym.
Harter said the inspiration behind the piece came from him being a “Colusa boy.”
“I was raised here,” Harter said. “I wanted to do something to emulate the community and capture the aspects of the community all at once.”
For his senior project, Harter said he wrote about public art, not an art form but as a statement on the history, culture, and collective memory of the local community.
Harter said he took prominent features of Colusa, such as agriculture, the Sacramento River, and rodeo culture, and rolled it into the design.
The most important aspect of the sculpture is placed in the center: a mirror.
“It wouldn’t be Colusa without the people,” Harter said. “You can look into the mirror and see yourself. That is the whole point.”
The sculpture is constructed largely of metal, so Harter did learn how to weld. The artwork has an overlay of tile, provided by one of his sponsors, Sutter Buttes Tile. ■