Creating Art Out of The Ordinary with Robert Rausch

On this episode of Serenbe Stories we talk with Robert Rausch, the man who created the works of art that are Serenbe's street lamps, sidewalk benches, bike racks, and even trash cans. We talk about Robert, Steve Nygren, and famed landscape architect Ryan Gainey collaborating to created Serenbe's original branding, and how Robert and Steve have continued finding ways to bring art and creativity to Serenbe streets, turning the ordinary to extraordinary.

Steve Nygren and Robert Rausch met each other at one of Ryan Gainey's 4th of July parties. Steve considers Ryan as a creative connector and Robert, who designed several things for Serenbe and is better known as a photographer, is no different. When Robert began working on various things for Steve and Serenbe, he did also did some of the illustrations and even some watercolors before product design. He'd not studied the arts in school, his degree was in biology, but once he finished he studied in France and decided to try his hand (quite successfully) as a photographer. He ended up getting an MFA and put photography aside for design work, but now he keeps up with both.

6:49 - Establishing Serenbe's Artistic Brand
Robert remembers when Steve first asked him to draw a logo for Serenbe. He thought about how difficult it'd be to brand a community, and up to that point he'd done mostly graphics and product design. The two collaborated and tried several different things before settling on the original acorn logo.

That's when Steve asked him to design Serenbe's street lights, and Robert felt like this was somewhat of a changing point in his career and design knowledge. He reminisces about a time they met at the foundry to look at the lights and they'd joked that they'd either be awful or great. Steve remembers that day as well, and looks back even further to when Robert first visited Serenbe with a paper mâché mock-up model in his pickup truck. At the time he'd wondered whether they were moving in the right direction. So by the time they were at the foundry to see it, Steve remembers it looking HUGE in the warehouse and wondering "what had they done."

That was it though, and that exact one is standing in the Selborne neighborhood and is the first you seen when driving in from the Inn. Now the trees have grown around them so the lamps almost blend, but back then they stood out while lining the streets. Steve even stopped construction people to ask what they thought about the streetlight, and remembers the guys says "what streetlight?" That told him it blended in well enough. Steve calls the lamps a point of Robert's genius. They are artistic and beautiful in their own right, and also signal the Selborne neighborhood's focus on the arts and Serenbe's commitment to supporting the arts. Monica likens them to being "part tree, part Dr. Seuss."

12:07 - Lighting Serenbe's Streets
Roberts fingerprint is all over Serenbe. He continued to design lights for each hamlet within Serenbe, reinforcing the intent for each one's commercial focus. In The Crossroads there's Robert's take on the gas lantern, reminiscent of communities in the 1800s. Grange's are similar, but electric. The latter was so simple and so unique, that the company that Serenbe contracted to do them named it the "Serenbe light."

Mado's streetlights are the latest ones designed, and possibly the most unique. Robert wanted them to blend in, just like the ones in Selborne, and also wanted them to have a more playful effect. He felt the design was simple, but it was hard to find someone to manufacture it. They're aluminum, when everything before had been steel or stainless steel, because it oxidizes white and Robert thought that would like nice in the Mado neighborhood. The design has three elements laser-cut into it: white oak leaves, a honeysuckle vine, and ferns, all found throughout Serenbe.

Robert is now also working on the paths that will lead across the Mado Pond to the Medicinal Garden, as well as more surprise designs to come. Mado is so dense that there are other areas with lighting that will correspond to that spot. For instance, Anders Square has archways over the sidewalks with globe lights hanging from the ceiling that reflect onto the entire blue ceiling and sidewalks when lit, a particularly beautiful sight at night. The pattern reminds Robert of wallpaper, and he even won an award for these from Architectural International Design.

16:54 - Establishing A Brand
Robert helped curate artists for other projects Steve wanted to commission throughout Serenbe, and also helped concept the glass leaves created by Donna Branch that hang about the steps leading to Serenbe's Development Office. Most of the people he's found to commission were through Ryan Gainey, but Robert also kept track of artists whose work he enjoyed.

Robert goes into more detail about the box mentioned at the beginning of the episode, which had a brass caste white oak acorn and branch with a tiny drawer that pulls out to reveal a carved quote on the box with an artistic booklet inside. He'd worked mostly with Ryan Gainey on approvals for everything and originally had a red oak leaf and acorn (because that has 3 sharp points on the leaves). Ryan wanted to change it to the white oak though, to symbolize the feminine and masculine coming together.

Steve does recall this decision and appreciated the change. He believes it's what Serenbe (and the natural world) is all about - the blend of the two - and Serenbe's land is covered in white oak trees. The acorn itself symbolized to Steve the seed of new thought that was Serenbe. Robert agrees, and new that the branding concept was something that would go away once the community "was." He remembers the white oak being so heavy that some people even needed help opening the box!

There was more than just a box, though. Robert created an entire line of concepts for Steve to be able to show people what Serenbe would be. One was the small invitation box asking people to come to the original charrette held at Serenbe with the Rocky Mountain Institute. Steve credits the 100% acceptance to the box - how could you say no to something so beautiful and special? He runs into people even now that have held onto these works of art, though Ryan says they were hinged with white oak leaves and beeswax (for an aroma upon opening) so he's surprised any have lasted!

24:35
Other works of Robert's at Serenbe include the benches found along sidewalks, bronze casting surrounding stop signs and trash cans, and bike racks. They're all branches, white oak branches to be specific. Steve wanted to honor the arts and move forward in practice to support artists. Of all of those, Robert was most surprised by the lampposts because he saw them as the biggest risk.

Serenbe's business cards even show off Robert's work. They have a die-cut white oak acorn and branches with a flap that folds down to reveal the name of the card's owner.

28:04

Robert ended up in Florence, Alabama, because he was working a lot in Nashville and Atlanta and his parents live there. One of the biggest reasons they ended up staying there was that he and his wife met other artists that had just moved to the same small Alabama town, and it helped ground them to have a community. Florence's creative community has since expanded exponentially.

Right now, Robert is designing a book for a celebrity photographer in Los Angeles and helping with the refacing of some of Florence's downtown buildings. He's also looking forward to the next round of lights that will be in Mado.

Steve can't believe its been 20 years since they've worked together and made the first box for the original charrette. Robert remembers the first time a group came down to Serenbe. Steve took everyone out for a walk where they were sowing seeds, and he was telling the group where he imagined everything would be. No one else could see it, but it was obvious that Steve could. Robert also took some of the first photographs of Serenbe and the streetlights, before anyone moved into the community.

‍