Artist: Dedication of King Soopers memorial sculpture at Museum of Boulder an 'emotional' experience

Jul. 1—Local sculptor Scott Osborne isn't someone who seeks recognition. He jokingly compares himself to the artist Banksy, who works in the middle of the night, under cover of dark, and is "never seen or heard from."

"That's kind of who I am as far as not wanting to promote myself," he said.

But it was Osborne who, unknowingly at first, built a sculpture commemorating the March 22, 2021, King Soopers shooting, the deadliest mass shooting in the history of Boulder County. That sculpture now sits atop a block in front of the Museum of Boulder at the corner of Broadway and Pine Street, and the names of the victims — Suzanne Fountain, Kevin Mahoney, Rikki Olds, Officer Eric Talley, Denny Stong, Neven Stanisic, Tralona Bartkowiak, Teri Leiker, Lynn Murray and Jody Waters — are forever etched into the block.

And when victims' family and friends attended a formal dedication ceremony for the sculpture on June 24, Osborne said the moment was "very touching," and it was "all I could do not to get too emotional" over the pain the community had experienced.

"I just feel like it was such an honor to be able to give something like this to the community," he said. "A couple of the family members came up and gave me a hug. They loved it. ... It just made me feel so good, to let them know there's people that care about them. And there's people that still think about them."

Lori Preston, executive director of the Museum of Boulder, said a private dedication was held for family and friends of victims in the morning, and a public ceremony was held later that afternoon. About 40 people attended the public ceremony, and the day's speakers included past Boulder Rotary Club President Cassidy Murphy and Boulder Strong Resource Center Program Manager Julie Ratinoff.

"It's humbling, you know, to be a part of this, as it is a true gift to the community," Preston said, adding that the piece aligns with one of the museum's goals of transforming into a community resource.

Osborne was in his studio in Marshall working on a sculpture on the day of the shooting. It was a multi-faceted steel piece where one facet was made of slightly polished stainless steel, making it reflective. He felt inspired by the combination of earthy elements and the reflection of the sun and sky above.

As Osborne began to hear sirens, his wife called him. The two live a few blocks from the King Soopers on Table Mesa Drive where the shooting took place, and they both frequent the store. She was about to enter the supermarket, he said, but when she saw Talley running inside, she realized there was trouble and left. They later realized that had she arrived and gone inside five minutes earlier, she would have been in the store when the gunman opened fire.

"It was just kind of surreal that afternoon. ... And then once we learned about what happened, I guess it's really kind of brought the community together in South Boulder," Osborne said. "I thought we really do have a community, and sometimes we kind of forget how important it is."

Wanting to give back to the community, Osborne decided a few months after the shooting to donate the sculpture. He contacted Preston, and she expressed "a lot of interest" in having the piece there.

In December 2021, the Marshall Fire destroyed Osborne's art studio and damaged the sculpture. He rebuilt a new sculpture, this time designed with the intent of it being a memorial, with 10 facets (one for each victim) plus one additional, reflective facet made of stainless steel. The sculpture has developed a rusty patina from sitting outdoors and being exposed to the elements. The meaning of it, he said, is open to interpretation, but he envisioned it as a reflection of the community.

"Within that sculpture, (because of) the stainless polished facet, you always see the beauty from within," said Osborne. "It's just the reflection of our community and the environment. And so there's always a beauty there. ... It's just this constant, beautiful reflection that one shiny facet has."

Osborne emphasized that the piece is first and foremost about supporting victims and their families, but he also wants his piece to commemorate the tragedy so it's not forgotten.

"When something like this happens anywhere in the country, in the world, but then in your hometown, and at the supermarket you shop at, it's just like, oh, this is terrible," he said. "And I never wanted to make a political statement, you know, but as a young boy, I grew up with guns here in the West. ... There's no need for high capacity weapons in this country. And I just hope at some point we can take care of that.

"I just feel like if we put (the shooting) out of our minds, and we forget about things like that, then nothing changes."