THE GARNER
Project: The Garner
Location: Fort Wayne, IN – 2026
Artist: Sasha Primo
Commissioner: City of Fort Wayne
Dimensions: 12ft w x 12ft l x 11.5ft h
Materials: 4'' steel tubes, 12 gauge aluminum panels, 1/3''+1/3'' laminated and templed safety glass, 12ft diameter cementad pad for foundation
The Garner grew from the post industrial history of the Harvester neighborhood in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The neighborhood itself developed around the International Harvester factory, and generations of families depended on it for work. When production was relocated and the factory closed more than forty years ago, the impact went far beyond the closure of a factory. Jobs disappeared, economic precarity increased, familiar spaces were left empty, and the community had to adapt and imagine a future beyond the industry that had shaped its identity.
During conversations with local residents, a 100 year old woman shared another memory of the site. Where the park stands today, there was once a stream where children played. The stream was eventually buried, but she still remembered exactly where it flowed.
These two histories became the foundation of the sculpture.
Made of steel, aluminum and glass, The Garner sits somewhere between a tree and the historic Harvester tower. Its structure grows upward from the ground, while the handprints of local residents gather at its center. A deep blue glass element evokes the hidden stream that continues to flow beneath the site.
The work brings together what is visible and what lies beneath: the legacy of the factory, the hidden stream, as well as the memories and hopes that still live within the landscape.
The Garner is ultimately about a community living through change. It remembers what was lost without remaining fixed in the past, while recognizing the hope and resilience of the neighbors who continue to build the future of Harvester together.