“Iron Sharpens Iron” – that’s the name of West Lafayette’s newest piece of public art. The sculpture sits in front of the Faith West Community Center on Northwestern Avenue.
Ben Sutter is the Lafayette native who created it. He says he’s had the idea for the piece in his head for a while, but needed the right place to put it.
The phrase comes from a verse in the Book of Proverbs. Sutter says the work contains several religious references.
“Fe stands for faith in Spanish, which is kind of a neat twist on the whole idea, because even centuries ago, it was called holy metal,” he says. “I thought that was kind of odd, but it just kind of stands apart from every other metal.”
The sculpture was officially unveiled Tuesday, although it’s been in place for a few weeks.
"We wanted very badly to have public art here," says Arvid Olson, director of development. "And we're blessed to have, as part of our Faith membership, Ben Sutter. Ben is a sharp young man and a really gifted artist."
“It’s a real pleasure being the artist in that people can see a representation of what you make," Sutter says, "what comes out of my head and the ideas that we have.”
