Public Reception: PAL Plans for 2011

Art League Announces Public Reception to Discuss Plans for 2011

URBANA, IL – The Public Art League announces an open invitation to meet the Board of Directors and learn more about the organization's plans for 2011. The 2011 informational reception/mixer will be held at Buvons Wine Bar in the Corkscrew Wine Emporium on Wednesday, July 20th from 5:30-7:00p, 203 N Vine St. Urbana, IL. The event is free and open to the public and Public Art League encourages participation by it's members, the public, local business interests, and everyone interested in public art in the broader community.

The League will introduce the Board of Directors, review activities since the last public meeting, and discuss activities and plans for 2011, the agreement with Urbana, and recent sculpture sale and sponsorship activity. The League recently completed a national sculpture competition with outstanding response, and will be presenting information and images of over a dozen winning entries which are being planned for placement. Hors d'œuvres will be provided and a cash bar will include specialty wines by Lisa Gustafsson of Heritage Wine Cellars. Membership materials and registration will be available.

The Public Art League is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation that is funded by Friends of the Public Art League and private sponsorships. The League’s purpose is to improve the aesthetic awareness and creative climate in our community by promoting public art in the form of a permanent sculpture collection in and around Champaign County. The goal of the League is to place sculptures throughout the Champaign-Urbana community through fund-raising and national artist competitions. Selected sculptures will be installed in the community metro areas and will serve as major visual anchor points, community identity and a statement that creativity and art are of vital importance to our existence in Central Illinois.

Contacts:
This Release: David Raila : draila@publicartleague.org This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. , 217-898-9694
Public Art League: David Wilcoxen, President: dwilcoxen@publicartleague.org This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. , 217-898-8263
Buvons Wine Bar: urbana@thecorkscrew.com This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. , https://www.thecorkscrew.com,, (217) 337-7704

An Evening at Indi Go with Elizabeth Buckley

Join us on Friday, March 11 as Indi-Go Gallery welcomes Mezzo-Soprano, Elizabeth Buckley. Proceeds from the event will benefit the Public Art League, but act fast as seating is limited.

Fresh from her début recital at Carnegie Hall, Elizabeth will be performing Brahms' Two Songs for alto and viola with esteemed U of I faculty members, Rudolf Haken and William Kinderman. Rudolf will be playing his custom designed viola pomposa and William will also be offering Brahms' op. 119 in B minor along with a few additional beloved opera arias and songs for mezzo. The gallery will feature art from the Congressional Art Show - a competition featuring works from twelve area high schools. Winning art from the competition will be displayed at the U.S. Capitol in Washington D.C

Proceeds from the event will benefit the Public Art League whose focus is the installation, maintenance and promotion of public monuments, sculptures and other public works of art. In 2010, the organization leased and installed eight sculptures in downtown Champaign.

Join us on Friday, March 11 from 7:00 - 8:30pm at the Indi-Go Gallery (9 E. University Ave., downtown Champaign).

Entry is $35 with proceeds benefitting the Public Art League.

Wines will be available by the Corkscrew Wine Emporium.

Public Art League Expands Board of Directors

The Public Art League announces expansion of it's Board of Directors.  Beginning in January the Board began a process of nominations and interviews of candidates in order to expand the capabilites, experience, and diversity of the board.   This process resulted in the addition of 3 new directors, Robin Hall, Roopali Malhotra, and Alan Mette.

Robin Hall  brings significant experience in public arts, including the development of the Wandell Sculpture Garden in Meadowbrook Park and as Chair of the Urbana Arts Commission. 

Roopali Malhotra adds noteworthy legal experience and experience in public arts service and fundraising with the T.F. Arts for Humanity Foundation in New York City, and the Chicago South Asian Arts Council.

Alan Mette brings a distinguished career in the arts, teaching, and administration, serving on numerous instituational committees and as Executive Associate Director for the School of Art + Design at the University of Illinois.

Their significant talents, relationships, and experiences will enable the Public Art League to expand geographically, engage arts-based foundations, and engage a wider section of the community, including expansion into Urbana, and engaging the University community.

We have included their background information from the Public Art League website Board of Directors page:  http://www.publicartleague/bod

Robin Hall

Robin Hall is the Director of the Office of Recreation and Park Resources at the University of Illinois. Prior to this, he was the Director of the Urbana Park District. One of his favorite projects while at the Park District was developing the Wandell Sculpture Garden in Meadowbrook Park. Hall currently serves as the Chair of the Urbana Arts Commission. He has served on several Boards including the Champaign County Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Champaign County Arts, Culture and Entertainment Council. He was part of the group that formed the latter. Hall co-chaired the 2003 Boneyard Festival. Robin has a passion for the arts, parks and land preservation.






Roopali Malhotra

Roopali Malhotra joined PAL in 2011 and primarily focuses on soliciting funding for the organization through private and public grants. Raised in Danville, Illinois, she pursued her undergraduate and graduate degrees at Pennsylvania State University and University of Pennsylvania before returning to the University of Illinois to attend the College of Law. She currently serves as an attorney for the Office of University Counsel, and has previously assisted with matters for the T.F. Arts for Humanity Foundation in New York City, as well as the Chicago South Asian Arts Council.

Alan Mette

Alan Mette has been a member of the Champaign-Urbana community since 1981. He is a Professor and Executive Associate Director for the School of Art + Design at the University of Illinois. He received a Master of Fine Arts from Michigan State University, Master of Arts from the University of Illinois and a Bachelor of Science degree from Wayne State University. He has served on numerous university, college, and school committees and has exhibited widely in regional, national and international exhibitions. Alan is the recipient of the Arts Achievement Award for Distinguished Alumni from Wayne State University and the Campus Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching from the University of Illinois.

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About The Public Art League


The Public Art League was founded in 2010 to improve the aesthetic awareness and creative climate in our community by promoting public art in the form of a permanent Sculpture collection in and around Champaign County.   Following a successful program in 2010 in conjunction with Champaign Park District and numerous sponsors and donors, the Public Art League will be announcing their 2011 sculpture competition.

Champaign Parks Foundation Purchases Sculpture

 

“Double Dutch-a Jump for Joy” by artist Gary Bibbs of Lexington, KY, will now remain a permanent
fixture in West Side Park thanks to a gift left to the Champaign Parks Foundation by the late Michael
Carragher.

During their April Board meeting the Champaign Parks Foundation agreed to purchase the
sculpture for $32,500. The sculpture will be purchased from the Public Art League formed in 2010 to
promote public art in the form of a permanent sculpture collection in and around Champaign County.

“Double Dutch-a Jump for Joy” is a 16 foot tall, 24 foot wide sculpture created in 2008 made from
stainless steel tubing and bronze. It currently resides at the juncture of Park and State Streets in West
Side Park and is sponsored by First Federal Savings Bank of Champaign Urbana. The artist ex-
plained that his inspiration in creating the sculpture came from his observations of the joy, happiness
and innocence of children at play.

The sculpture was installed in West Side Park last August as one of the first sculptures the Public Art
League initiated and was to remain in the park for a minimum of two years at which time the lease
would either be renewed or the sculpture would be replaced with another. According to Bobbie Hera-
kovich, Champaign Park District Executive Director, “The Champaign Park District felt this sculpture
was a beautiful addition to West Side Park with its graceful arch welcoming park users from the east.
Additionally, the artists’ intent is not lost on the Park District as “Double Dutch” promotes joyful memo-
ries of youth as does the Park District. Its location, directly east of “Tootsie”, another sculpture do-
nated by Michael Carragher, makes it a perfect fit for the funds left by Michael to add more art to West
Side Park.”

Sculpturefest 2010

Kicking off a weekend of appreciation for the arts in Downtown Champaign, the Public Art League presents ‘Sculpturefest’ on Friday, August 20th. The event is open to the public and is a celebration of the arrival of sculptures that will be installed downtown. Starting at 6:00 p.m., the party will take place on Park Street between Neil and Randolph Streets and feature live music by Bruiser & the Virtues (starting at 7:00 p.m.) ...and summertime cocktails by Boltini Lounge. Learn more about the Public Art League and the program which is bringing more sculpture and public art to Champaign while you mingle with many of the artists whose work will be on display in our community.

Join the party on Friday, August 20th from 6-10 p.m. on Park Street as we kick off a great weekend of support for the arts. Special thanks to Busey Bank and Boltini Lounge!

Sculptures Placed in 2010

Check out the locations in Google Maps

Artist: Terrence Karpowicz Sculpture: “From Swords to Plowshares” Location: Taylor Street Plaza (West End of Cowboy Monkey beer garden) Sponsor: Pepsi-Cola Champaign-Urbana Bottling Co		Available for purchase Price: $42,000
Artist: Garry R. Bibbs Sculpture: “Double Dutch – A Jump for Joy” Location: Westside Park (East End) Sponsor: First Federal Savings Bank of Champaign-Urbana
Artist: Gail Simpson Sculpture: “Pointless” Location: One Main Plaza (Grass Area – North Hump) Sponsor: Volition
Artist: Bob Emser Sculpture: “Skycatcher III” Location: Southwest corner of First and Chester Streets Sponsor: Robeson Family Benefit Fund
Artist: John Searles Sculpture: “Spiral Flight” Location: Northeast corner of Main & Chestnut Streets Sponsor: Jos. Kuhn & Co.
Artist: Paul Daniel Sculpture: “Red Eye” Location: Parking lot island in front of the Orpheum Theater Sponsor: Illinois Green Business Association
Artist: Barry Tinsley Sculpture: “Entrance” Location: One Main Plaza (Grass Area – South Hump) Sponsor: One Main Development Marci Dodds & Cody Sokolski
Artist: Roger F. Blakley Sculpture: "R-RP-25" Location: Neil Street (near Circles) Sponsor: Barham Benefit Group

Editorial - Cooperation in the name of public art

 

From the News-Gazette: Editorial
Champaign now joins Urbana with a program to place public art in various location in the city.
The Champaign City Council's decision last week to join with a private group to cooperate in placing sculptures in various locations around the city is welcome as an example of public-private cooperation to support public art. It's a no-risk proposition for Champaign taxpayers that can enrich the social and cultural life of the city at little or no public cost.
-- read the full article