Plans for the construction of a giant public troll are emerging from Pease Park Conservancy. The nonprofit is looking at the feasibility of donating a piece of public artwork from the Tejemos Foundation and the conservancy to the city of Austin. Proposed is the gift a new Thomas Dambo troll sculpture made from recycled and reused wood that would be commissioned and installed in Pease Park in early 2024.
The artwork would be funded and maintained by the conservancy, which partners with the city on the operations and maintenance of Pease District Park.
The conservancy is tasked with restoring, enhancing, and maintaining Pease Park’s public green space and is entirely donor-funded — as would be the troll project.
Dambo is a critically acclaimed artist and designer who describes himself as a “recycling art activist” who creates public art sculptures from . He specializes in making wooden, hand-built sculptures from scrap wood and has installed more than 100 of them publicly — all trolls, it seems — worldwide.
Dambo says he strive to create a message about environmental or ecological awareness with his whimsical and enormous sculptures and that he "works with locals to understand their culture and stories seeking to find commonality in goals of taking care of Mother Nature and to educate on how to do better," according to the conservancy.
If the conservancy proposal goes through, Dambo would grant a 15-year, exclusive license for the proposed artwork, subject to the conservancy's maintaining the sculpture over the period. At the end of the license period, the parties may agree on an extension period or a new license; the artist may grant a third party a license or use some or all of the work for their own purposes; or the conservancy will remove the work, ensuring that materials are recycled as much as possible and that removal takes place in a sustainable way.
