Better Angels will Alight in Landmark Plaza this summer

“We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory will swell when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature.” Abraham Lincoln
Landmark Plaza, located next to Landmark Center in the Rice Park neighborhood of downtown St. Paul, will once again host a public art installation created by The Milligan Studios in St. Paul. “Better Angels” will be installed in Landmark Plaza through September 30. The artwork is comprised of several hundred pinwheels in shades of blue and white, re-engineered to resemble angel wings, and strung on horizontal steel wires for movement in the wind. When seen as a whole, the work creates the illusion of a pair of giant wings made of sky. Visitors can enter the arched structure, which creates a “cloud tunnel,” to experience the moving wings. Selfies from either side of the structure are encouraged and can be posted on social media with the hashtag #BetterAngelsSt.Paul.
The art evokes President Lincoln’s first inaugural address when he spoke to a divided nation and asked all to embrace their better angels and join together as a country. The country was on the brink of the Civil War and, unlike today, his words could not be carried via Internet. Lincoln’s message of appealing to “better angels” will be posted on a nearby sign with hashtag information. The “Better Angels” installation is sponsored by the St. Paul Downtown Alliance, the Rice Park Association, and Landmark Center.
The Milligan Studio is the public art practice of Alan Milligan and Dr. Nicole Mary Milligan. Irish sculptor and educator Alan Milligan is best known for the Samuel Beckett bronze chess set commissioned by the Happy Days International Beckett Festival in Enniskillen, Northern Ireland. Dr. Milligan (novelist N.M. Kelby) is the critically acclaimed author of ten books including White Truffles in Winter and the New York Times bestseller In the Company of Angels. The Milligan Studio has been commissioned to create several award-winning permanent sculptures in bronze for the UK, EU and US. Milligan’s sculptures have included “UpLift,” which was located in Landmark Plaza in 2019, and currently found around the Twin Cities: “School of (Fish)” (Centennial Lakes Park, Edina); “Oarsman Before the Sun” (Raspberry Island, St. Paul); “Lake of Dreams,” honoring Dr. King, on Minneapolis’ Lake Street. For information, visit themilliganstudio.com.
Landmark Center is a dynamic, historic cultural arts center dedicated to celebrating the cultural diversity and collective history of the community. It is owned and sponsored by Ramsey County and managed by Minnesota Landmarks (www.landmarkcenter.org).