WAUPUN — Waupun’s newest outdoor sculpture, “Eddies & Etchings”, was unveiled last month in a ribbon cutting at the pavilion in Harris Mill Park.
The sculpture was created by Minnesota-based sculpture artists James and Ryan Pedersen. It was purchased for through a grant from Protect Wisconsin Waterways, who organize an annual Waterway Cleanup event in Waupun every September. The ribbon cutting was held immediately following the cleanup event held September 20, 2025.
James Pedersen and his wife attended the ribbon cutting, with James talking about his experience as an artist and how this piece came to be. Jeni Maly, who runs the nonprofit organization Create Waupun, discovered Pedersen’s work through the Eau Claire Sculpture Tour Program, which was first brought to Waupun two years ago.
Originally, Create Waupun was going to purchase an existing piece from Pedersen, but that piece was purchased before the sculpture tour began earlier this year. Maly was able to commission a new piece from Pedersen, which arrived in Waupun in August. The Waupun Department of Public Works placed it in its location at Harris Mill Park, on a concrete pad just to the north of the park pavilion.
Attendees heard from James Pedersen, Jeni Maly, Mayor Rohn Bishop, and two students from the University of Wisconsin Whitewater who were helping organize the Waupun Waterway Cleanup that morning.
Mayor of Waupun Rohn Bishop, City Administrator Kathy Schlieve, Public Works Director Jeff Daane, and County Supervisor Jon Venhuizen were in attendance at the ribbon cutting.
The sculpture is said to represent the curves of the Rock River as it flows through Waupun, and can be used as an educational tool for students at the nearby Intermediate School. A plaque explaining the sculpture is planned to be placed nearby in the future.
