At the corner of East 19th and French, a giant metal seed sprouts from the sidewalk—an industrial bloom born from bicycle parts and community dreams.

“Seeding Community” is more than a sculpture—it’s a symbol of regeneration, collaboration, and the strange beauty of Erie’s urban landscape. Created in 2021 by artists Fredy Huaman Mallqui, Steve Mik, and Eric Brozell through Erie Arts & Culture’s “Creating with Community” initiative, this 15-foot-wide piece was forged from recycled bike rims, metal posts, and salvaged signage. Perched on a hill frequented by neighbors, basketball players, and passersby, the sculpture invites interaction and interpretation—its form echoing both a literal seed and a figurative call to action.

The artists, each with distinct specialties—sculpture, mural work, and cycling advocacy—joined forces to reimagine the 19th Street corridor as a space where nature and city life intertwine. With help from the Sisters of St. Joseph Neighborhood Network, Bike Erie, and city engineers, the seed was “planted” in its final home, a reclaimed patch of public space that now pulses with creative energy. It’s quirky, quiet, and deeply rooted in Erie’s spirit of transformation—just the kind of oddity Weird Erie loves to celebrate.