The artist describes himself as a “Danish artist / designer specialized in building from trash / recycle materials“

The other day, we received a tip from a concerned citizen who said that the City of Wauwatosa’s Tourism Commission was blowing $368,000 on a large garden gnome. Could this possibly be true?

It turns out it is, although it’s more accurately described as a “troll” holding a “bouquet of lampposts,” and it’s going up in a park. They’re even providing “CO2 compensation.” The Danish artist Thomas Dambo bases his works “on ideas and philosophy of recycling and including the surrounding environment in his works,” the draft contract between Dambo and the city Tourism Commission reads.

Dambo marks his sculptures on a “live troll map.” His website explains, “I’m Thomas Dambo, Danish recycling artist. Our world is drowning in trash while we are running out of natural resources. In 2011 I quit my job to become an artist and follow my mission to ‘Waste no more…’ I give new life to discarded materials by turning them into large-scale artworks.”

We contacted Eva Ennamorato, the communications manager for the City of Wauwatosa, and asked her about the troll.

“The Wauwatosa Tourism Commission is funding a sculpture in Wauwatosa’s new park on 116th Street. (Contract amount = $368,123.60),” she confirmed.

“The artwork will be 100% funded by hotel/motel tax dollars. These are the taxes that a visitor to the community pays when staying in a Wauwatosa hotel or Airbnb. According to Wisconsin state statutes, hotel/motel tax dollars can only be spent on initiatives that drive tourists or visitors to the community, such as marketing, tourism facilities, and tourism events. No property tax dollars are being used for this project. State law prohibits tourism tax dollars from being used to fund roads, schools, or other city services,” Ennamorato added.

“The Client [Wauwatosa Tourism Commission] has requested The Artist to design, create, produce and deliver one (1) of the Artist’s renowned troll sculptures,” the draft contract says. “The concept relates to one of the artist’s known troll sculptures in the process of creating a bouquet of lampposts.”

The draft contract notes: “Any expenses related to transporting these parts to The Client’s premises, as well as CO2 compensation, will be at The Client’s sole expense, regardless of from which place the parts are to be transported . . . The Artist will arrange the shipping, in the most sustainable way, e.g. by boat.” The Commission also agreed to tag the artist on social media when sharing the troll, dubbed “the Work” in the draft contract, which says the troll is supposed to be similar to other trolls created by Dambo. It’s labeled the “Dambo final agreement” on the city’s website.

See similar trolls created by Thomas Dambo here. Note- the troll in this story’s featured image is another one of Dambo’s trolls, not the Tosa troll. No image of that exists yet.

Wait – CO2 compensation?

“The Client shall reimburse The Artist for travel expenses and CO2 Compensation, in connection with bringing up to 7 additional people from Denmark or other locations to the location of installation,” the contract says. The name of Melissa Cantarero Weiss, Deputy City Administrator, City of Wauwatosa, appears at the bottom of the contract, although the version on the city’s website is unsigned.

“The Tourism Commission has a goal of making Wauwatosa an arts tourism destination. The sculpture installation planned for the new city park is in alignment with that goal and complements our current public art initiatives including our mural district and events such as ART 64,” Ennamorato added.

“The ART 64 event, which is funded through tourism, brought over a half million dollars in economic spending from visitors in two days this past June 2024. We anticipate measuring and reporting positive economic impact related to the sculpture.”

Added Ennamorato: “The artist is internationally recognized with a limited number of sculptures currently in the United States. His plan is to have a sculpture in every state. The Wauwatosa sculpture will be the exclusive Wisconsin location.”

The meeting minutes show that four commissioners were present at the meeting where the sculpture was approved unanimously by the four with one absent.

“Dave Amoroso asked for a motion to approve Thomas Dambo contract and a transfer in 2024 from Tourism’s Capital Budget to the Operating Budget in an amount up to $368,123.60 plus a 10% overage, to cover contract costs, variation in currency exchange, and additional costs associated with lighting changes to the original park plan, and to direct staff to place additional project costs for 2025 in the 2025 budget. This is a preferred artist providing proprietary art that is alignment with the park’s mission,” the minutes read.

ROLL CALL
Commissioner, Chair Dave Amoroso (his LinkedIn page says he’s a PR guy).

Commissioner Megan Tanel

Commissioner Daniel Underberg (his LinkedIn page says he’s “Program Director and Chair: Sport and Entertainment Business / Hospitality and Event Management” at Concordia University

Commissioner – Hotel Representative Chantal Boncher

RESULT: APPROVED
MOVER: Daniel Underberg
SECONDER: Chantal Boncher
Amoroso, Tanel, Underberg, and Boncher