Decatur Sculpture Walk planned for August 23rd

Decatur Sculpture Walk
Decatur, IN
Thursday, August 23, 2012 at 6:00 PM

The North Adams Arts Council with the help of celebrated artist, Greg Mendez, and community volunteers are creating the Decatur Sculpture Walk which will launch on Thursday, August 23, 2012 at 6:00 pm.

Artists must be at least 18 years old and live within 150 miles of Decatur. The entry fee is $10 per sculpture. Entries will be critiqued based on artistic merit, public safety, and durability in an outdoor setting. The deadline for applications is May 1, 2012. Notification of the selection committee's decision will be made by June 1. Installation date is Thursday, August 23, 2012.

More information: To sponsor the sculpture walk or for artists interested in participating in the sculpture walk, please contact The Decatur Chamber of Commerce (260.724.2604) or email your questions to: decatursculpture@apls.lib.in.us. For more information on the City of Decatur, visit decaturin.org. For more information on the Kekionga Festival visit kekiongafestival.com.

Submissions will be juried and only the best pieces will be featured in the downtown walking tour. The committee will select a total of eight outdoor works of art and will feature an additional number of indoor works presented in downtown business window displays.

Visitors will have walking tour maps and be able to vote to select a People's Choice work of art. The featured art will be for sale with the proceeds being shared between the artists and the committee to promote future Decatur Sculpture Walk events and to begin purchasing permanent art for the community.

Greg Mendez, the chair of the Decatur Sculpture Walk committee and veteran sculpture walk artist, shared his passion for creating a new sculpture walk in his hometown. "As I experience other sculpture walks around the country, it's energizing to see people enjoying art in public spaces. It's a way for the public to commune with one another in appreciation or examination of something new and unusual, yet they appear to have a very personal and singular experience. I don't know of any other art endeavor that is quite like it." Mendez has had pieces selected for the sculpture walk in the City of Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

The event has already received wide endorsement from the business community who will be participating through sponsorships and other related events. The Decatur Sculpture Walk unveiling will happen in association with the extremely popular Kekionga Festival. The events complement each other well as visitors can enjoy both activities as they stroll through the historic downtown in the shadow of the signature Victorian courthouse that was built in 1873 and is still in use by the county government. The Decatur Rivergreenway, a 4 mile walking trail along the St. Marys River and around town, begins downtown and follows the former Nickel Plate/Norfolk Southern Railroad and Erie-Lackawanna Railroad featuring a spectacular double-wide iron truss bridge over the river.