Patrick Hollister tells the story of his role in Battle Lake’s Public Art through his position with Partnership 4 Health. His work has been instrumental in helping residents live a more active lifestyle.

My involvement in Battle Lake started when Highway 78 came up on Minnesota’s Department of Transportation list for reconstruction in 2011. As the Active Living Planner with PartnerSHIP 4 Health, I was the advocate for bike-ability and walk-ability in the planning meetings.

The plan to reduce road lanes for slowing downtown traffic resulted in expanding sidewalks, some up to 20 feet wide. At the time, Lake Region Arts Council was offering cities $10,000 grants to create public art, and the wider sidewalks seemed the perfect place for art. To apply, though, cities needed an Arts Advisory Committee, so the City Council established one by resolution Fall 2012. I was one of the original six members.

The newly formed Art Advisory Committee began a year of soul-searching and planning– what is Battle Lake known for? How can we capture those attributes in Art?

We decided that life in Battle Lake revolves around natural resources, recreation, and agriculture. We wanted the Art to be functional and beautiful. Thus, was born what we have downtown today – three mosaic benches, two mosaic planters, and four artistically designed bicycle racks that encourage people to bike downtown.

We asked local metal artist Paul Boyum to create the four bicycle racks – one for each of Battle Lake’s main characteristics and one for family. PartnerSHIP 4 Health donated $1600 toward Paul’s work but his artistry and time spent making them far exceeded what we could offer; we gratefully appreciated his generosity.

The cattail bicycle rack you see here represents Battle Lake’s most notable attribute – our natural resources. It’s a work of art but we also want bicyclists to use it— my role with PartnerSHIP 4 Health is to promote active lifestyles and that’s what I’m about.

The downtown bicycle racks were just the beginning. Since 2014, Battle Lake has earned “2022-2026 Bicycle Friendly Community” status, added Safe Routes to School for kids, and promoted “Ride your Bike to Work Day.” We also have the Glendalough-Battle Lake trail loop for biking and walking.

It’s never been easier for Battle Lakers to live an active life!