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A swan and granite bench beside the pond at Carpenter Park. Photo: Richard Carter

Public art / 18

Queen Swans of Cary

We fabricated the swan sculptures from ⅜-inch A36 steel plate, working from Christine Bourdette’s artistic design.

Carpenter Park · Cary, North Carolina
Artistic concept: Christine Bourdette Fabrication: Western Iron Works
The project
Artistic concept
Christine Bourdette
Fabrication
Western Iron Works
Location
Carpenter Park Cary, North Carolina
Completed
2018
The arched neck and wing forms viewed from the park path.Photo: Richard Carter

Our work

Fabricating the steel swans

Every steel component of the swans was made from ⅜-inch A36 plate. The broad wing forms and long, arched necks follow Christine Bourdette’s design, wrapping around simple granite benches.

Plate thickness · .375″
⅜″
Steel grade
A36
6′-6″ × 9′-8″ × 5′-8″Overall dimensions of each swan

Finished artwork: painted steel and granite.

The artist’s idea

Why swans?

Bourdette’s swans turn a park bench into a place for imagination.

She chose the swan for its connection to transformation and fantasy. The park itself reflects that change: former fallow farmland became a place for the community to gather, rest and play.

Set around the central pond, the sculptures draw visitors through the park. The long necks and broad wings surround the benches, inviting visitors to sit within the swan forms.

Artwork and concept by Christine Bourdette.

Find Carpenter Park
The swans make places to stop and sit around the pond.Photo: Richard Carter

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