Sculpture park plan near La Crosse River still up for debate by Arts Board

A long-planned sculpture park for La Crosse is still at the discussion stage.

The city’s Arts Board said at a meeting Thursday the La Crosse Parks, Recreation and Forestry Department approved the concept of an outdoor area where sculptures could be displayed.

The idea has been discussed by that board for at least three years. Funding, however,0 has been hard to get and the ownership of the land near the La Crosse River still has to be established.

The Arts Board wants to call the park “Nii Hosto” to honor indigenous people of the area, but representatives of the Ho-Chunk Nation say they have not been included in discussions of the plan. They are asking for more diversity on the city committee.

A public listening session could be held in La Crosse this summer on those plans.

The concept of an art park along the La Crosse River, north of Riverside Park, was endorsed by the Arts Board in 2020.

At the time, board members expected the park to be developed within two years. The proposal also included the concept of a large archway made out of tree limbs.