By Leah Cowdell, Taylorsville City

Where others might see rigid steel, scrap metal or discarded objects, Taylorsville artist Dan Toone sees the possibility for movement, balance and flowing form.

After spending 30 years welding stainless steel in the dairy and food-processing industry, Toone turned those technical skills toward his passion for sculpture. He particularly enjoys the challenge of transforming a material known for strength and structure into artwork that appears fluid and unconstrained.

“The most rewarding part for me is taking the normally rigid and structural steel and turning it into smooth, unrestrained flowing lines, shapes and forms,” Toone said.

That philosophy can be seen in Toone’s sculptures at Taylorsville’s Centennial Plaza, in the Plaza +ART program he and his wife, Janean, have been integral in shaping, and most recently in a towering stainless steel tree he created for Farmington (pictured above and below). His work is also helping build connections between the two cities, with Farmington officials looking to Taylorsville as they consider developing a similar public art program.

“Taylorsville’s Plaza +ART program would not be what it is today without Dan and Janean Toone,” Mayor Kristie Overson said. “Their vision, creativity and dedication have helped turn Centennial Plaza into an open-air gallery and made public art an important part of our community.”

Now in its fifth year, Plaza +ART offers a rotating collection of sculptures that residents and visitors can experience for free. The current Art Walk includes 22 works by local and regional artists, among them “Tranquility,” Toone’s stainless steel sculpture in the 2025-26 collection.

A new group of sculptures will be unveiled Sept. 25 for the 2026-27 season, continuing the open-air gallery the Toones and the program’s artists and supporters have helped build.

For Toone, sculpting feels like a second childhood. After decades of honing his welding skills, he now relishes each opportunity to experiment with stainless steel, scrap, found objects and recycled materials.

His latest creation takes that artistry to a dramatic new scale.

A nearly 35-foot-tall stainless steel tree created by Toone now rises over North Cottonwood Commons in Farmington. Inspired by Farmington’s city logo, the sculpture spreads approximately 25 feet across and features illuminated elements that give it a different dimension after dark.

The project took about eight months to complete and is Toone’s largest sculpture to date. In a recent social media post, he described the undertaking as involving plenty of “blood, sweat and tears,” but said he was thrilled with the finished result and its prominent location at 550 Innovator Drive in Farmington.

The towering tree continues Toone’s work creating art that becomes part of the character and identity of the places where it stands. It has also brought new attention to the public art program he helped shape closer to home.

To learn more about Plaza +ART and how a similar effort might take shape in their community, Farmington officials visited Taylorsville on March 18 to tour Centennial Plaza and hear how the program has developed.

“They heard we had something pretty cool going on here in Taylorsville and wanted to come take a look,” Mayor Overson said during a recent City Council meeting.

Following a luncheon at City Hall, the group toured the exhibit and learned more about how Taylorsville works with artists, sponsors and supporters to bring a changing collection of sculptures to the plaza.

“They were very impressed and are looking to do something similar in Farmington,” Mayor Overson said. “I think it’s a real nod to Taylorsville that they came to see what we’re doing.”

The visit reflected how far Plaza +ART has come since its creation, Mayor Overson added. The collection changes each year, giving residents new artwork to discover and providing local and regional artists another place to share their work. Permanent pieces add continuity to the gallery, while the rotating sculptures allow the experience to keep evolving from one season to the next.

Visitors can explore the artwork at their own pace, day or night, and learn more about each sculpture, the artist who created it and the inspiration behind the piece. That accessibility has made public art part of everyday life at Centennial Plaza and established Plaza +ART as a program that other communities are interested in following.

Mayor Overson pointed to Toone as an example of the talent found within Taylorsville and praised his contributions both as an artist and driving force behind Plaza +ART.

“He is a remarkable talent, and we are so lucky to have him in our community,” Mayor Overson said. “It’s exciting to see his work recognized beyond Taylorsville and to be part of that connection with other cities.”