By Francesca Merwin, staff writer

There is a grand community of artists in Syracuse – some well-known, some at the creative fringe, and others whom we have yet to discover. One of our aims on the Connective Corridor is to seek out these folks and highlight their endeavors. For the next several months, we will follow Brendan Rose, Syracuse Public Artist in Residence (SPAR), and his triumphs (and sometimes trials) as an up-and-coming regional artist. Consider this an insider’s look into one local artist’s life.

I called Brendan Rose early on a Friday morning to “check in.” It had been a while since our first conversation, and I knew I needed to find out what he was up to now. He picked up the phone while tirelessly rushing around, hurried yet calm. “I’m building the tail,” he says casually, as if it were any other day where tail-building was completely normal. 

And for Brendan, it’s more than normal. He’s been working on “the serpent,” the first official piece of public art he’s created as Syracuse’s Public Artist in Residence (SPAR). The serpent, which sits on the recently-finished Onondaga Creekwalk, acts as a protector of the area and a unique piece of public art. The large-scale, blue sea creature, which Rose has been working on for months, is slowly slithering towards completion. 

You would think such a massive project would take up much of this artist’s free time, but Rose only knows how to keep busy and move forward. He’s unveiling the serpent, helping with a graduate course at Syracuse University, and working on his next big thing. He’s still playing around with the idea of public art, while trying to find new ways to execute it in the unique city of Syracuse. Luckily, he thinks he’s found something.

Rose started a project at Artsweek that he describes as a ‘drawing booth’ where people could trace each other’s faces. “People were paying attention to it,” he explains. “They were publically engaged while being engaged with each other, which was a really important goal for this piece.” This project made Rose realize that he might be able to take on different identities as the public artist. He could form his role to mean something else as he works on various projects.  

“I wanted to become the solicitor of people’s stories,” Rose contends. “I thought, ‘what if I try to make a larger call to the city and mobilize people who wouldn’t normally encounter this kind of stuff? Will people ‘play art with me?’ ”

Rose is going to test his theory through a project about love in the city. Over the next few weeks, Rose will be collecting the love stories of the people of Syracuse. He wants to know where love has existed in this city and bring our attention to it.

After Rose has found his stories, he will then find a way to incorporate them into something concrete. Or metal. Or maybe it will be something else entirely. For now, Rose is concerned with getting the piece off the ground – a process which will involve receiving approval from the Syracuse Public Art Commission, something which still intimidates Rose. “At this point, I’m pretty comfortable with [the Commission] and they’ve given me a positive response thus far,” he explains. “But I really want it to go well.”

We’ll check in next month to see where Rose is in his quest to find the “Landscape of Love” that exists in Syracuse. For now, Rose will stay committed to the tasks at hand. “If I can accomplish that, I’ll be happy,” he says as he loads concrete pieces into a truck – pieces that will soon turn into a larger, much more complete picture.

Want a chance to name the serpent? Act quickly, and a $50 gift certificate to Pastabilities could be yours! The contest is open until October 2, and the winner will be announced on October 10.

Interested in sharing your tale of love? Email spar@installsyracuse.org.