OLATHE, Kan. (KCTV) – A new art installation is coming to Heritage Park next summer.

The Johnson County Parks and Recreation District announced Friday that two Minnesota artists will create an art project for the park.

A selection committee awarded the project to Leah Yellowbird and Aaron Squadroni of Grand Rapids, Minnesota. Their concept “Fire Keepers Circle” was selected from 11 Indigenous artists with tribal affiliation who submitted proposals.

“It is designed as an active sculpture providing a gathering space and wrapped in a multi-layered covering,” Yellowbird and Squadroni said in a statement from the artists. “As a stop on the historic ‘Trail of Death,’ this sculpture is considered a place of warmth and renewal where current members of the group can gather and reflect or where park visitors can learn more on Potawatomi culture and history.”

Community feedback took place in June and the artwork will be installed at some point during the summer of 2025.

Yellowbird and Squadroni said the sculpture is inspired by the Potawatomi people’s history as keepers of fire. It is designed as a place of warmth and the art is inspired by the hearth of a sweat lodge.

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