Project Spotlight:
Formplay No. 2
Artist: H. Grace Boyle
Completion Date: January 2025
Location: Veterans Blvd. at Houma Blvd., Metairie, LA
Services Provided: Value Engineering + Fabrication + Transport + Installation
Sculpting Play Into Public Space
Formplay No. 2 isn't just a sculpture—it's a gesture of invitation. Created by public artist H. Grace Boyle, this dynamic work now lives at the intersection of Veterans and Houma Boulevards in Metairie, Louisiana, where it catches light, shadows, and attention in equal measure.
Born from Grace's smaller studio work—eleven commercially made U-shaped marble candlestick holders arranged in playful composition—Formplay No. 2 represents a bold leap in scale and ambition. What started as an elegant studio experiment became a towering 16-foot public artwork that's both architecturally sound and unmistakably joyful.
Our Role
This wasn't just about scaling up; it was about engineering the impossible. At 2.25 tons, Formplay No. 2 pushed the boundaries of what Grace had tackled before, requiring the kind of technical expertise and collaborative problem-solving that gets us excited.
Scope of Work:
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Value Engineering: Worked with Grace from the outset to optimize materials, methods, and costs while preserving the sculpture's essential character.
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Precision Fabrication: Built massive steel arches with exacting alignment (because the visual movement of the piece relies entirely on perfect symmetry).
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Surface Mastery: Applied stucco evenly across curved, inverted surfaces and around complex corners—a technical challenge that required both artistry and skill.
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Custom Transport Engineering: Designed and fabricated a specialized steel A-frame structure to transport the 2.25-ton sculpture horizontally while suspended, protecting the delicate surfaces from crushing under its own weight.
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Collaborative Installation: Partnered with Jefferson Parish to crane the sculpture into place, drill anchor points, and complete final adjustments.
The Technical Challenge
Grace knew what she wanted: perfect symmetry that would make the sculpture sing. The challenge? Getting massive steel square tube frames to align with millimeter precision. Even the slightest misalignment would throw off the entire visual rhythm of the piece.
Our team of artist-fabricators brought together multiple skill sets to solve problems as they emerged. From engineering the transport system to mastering the stucco application on those challenging curved surfaces, every step required creative problem-solving and technical excellence.
The Result
The result is a show-stopper. Formplay No. 2 now commands its intersection in Metairie, generating the kind of community buzz that makes public art successful. It's a sculpture that invites interaction and contemplation, adding color, movement, and meaning to an everyday civic space.
For Grace, it represented a career milestone—her largest commissioned work to date. For us, it exemplified what happens when artistic vision meets technical expertise and collaborative spirit.
What Grace Had to Say
"It was exciting, not to mention a great relief, to know I was working with a team of experts."
It is thrilling to be commissioned to make large scale public sculpture but also anxiety provoking... I was at a point in my career where I was commissioned to make a sculpture that was outside the scope of my capabilities alone.
Denali's team has a wide knowledge base and the individuals wear multiple hats and do it well... Between our knowledge, collective skill sets, and being able to create solutions to unpredictable dilemmas, we were able to create a show stopper of a sculpture!
H. Grace Boyle, Sculptor & Public Artist
Ready to Scale Up Your Vision?
Whether you're an artist ready to tackle your first large-scale commission or a municipality planning transformative public art, we're here to make it happen. From concept to installation, we bring the technical expertise that turns ambitious ideas into tangible show-stoppers like Formplay No. 2.
Let's talk about your next project.