2015 Call to Artists

The Public Art League (PAL) is pleased to announce our 2015 Call to Artists.

PAL is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization whose focus is the installation, maintenance and promotion of public artworks in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois.  Our mission is to promote creativity and improve our community's aesthetic by cultivating awareness and appreciation of public art.

Please follow the link below for information regarding the 2015 Call to Artists and to access a  "Sculpture Exhibition Entry Form."

http://www.publicartleague.org/artists.html

Thank you,

Public Art League

Grow the Love for the Public Art League

If you shop at Schnucks and have their gas discount card, make sure to register your card with eScrip so the Public Art League receives contributions when you make a purchase. To register, go to www.escrip.com, click on “Sign up, It’s Free”, enter “Public Art League” and fill in the form as prompted. Once you select the Public Art League as your charity of choice, each time you shop at Schnucks, they will donate up to 3% of your purchase directly to us! Plus, in the month of February, all new Public Art League supporters will be entered in a drawing to win one of 5 $100 VISA gift cards. It only takes a few minutes and it's free!

Registering your card does not detract from your gas discount.  Thank you for your support!

"Stride" finds a Home in C-U

Stride

Beth Nybeck

The Public Art League is pleased to announce its purchase of Stride by Beth Nybeck.  The sculpture is installed in the parking lot in front of the Orpheum Children's Science Museum and was purchased with funds donated by the Robeson Family Benefit Fund.

Regarding Stride, the artist states:  "The spirit of discovery is one that needs to be equipped with courage.  The journey of uncovering the unknown is filled with fear and excitement.  This sculpture explores the awkward isolation of moving onward as a unique individual."

Thank you to the Robeson Family Benefit Fund for making the purchase of Stride possible.

Installation Celebration 2014!

Rules of Civility by Kristin Garnant

Join us the evening of Thursday, December 11, 2014, as we celebrate the installation of 10 new sculptures in the Champaign-Urbana area over the past year.  For added reason to celebrate, with your support, the Public Art League just installed its 50th sculpture in the community since our formation in 2010!

Installation Celebration

Thursday, December 11

5:30 - 7:30 p.m.

Biaggi's Ristorante Italiano

2235 S. Neil Street, Champaign, IL

Appetizers and a cash bar will be available.

Please join us for a night of food, drink and friends of the Public Art League.  RSVP here by December 6.  Hope you can make it!

"Athirst" Makes a Splash in Urbana

Sarah Deppe with Athirst

The Public Art League is proud to announce the installation of Athirst, a sculpture by Sarah Deppe.  The Public Art League worked with the City of Urbana  to install the piece at the corner of Race and Griggs Streets on Friday, November 21.  The sculpture was unveiled as part of Urbana's ribbon cutting ceremony celebrating the improvements to the Boneyard Creek at that location.  Athirst represents the 50th sculpture Public Art League has brought to the community since 2010, and its installation is possible thanks to the generous support of Mike & Connie Hosier and David & Janet Peshkin.

Sarah Deppe received her BFA from the University of Northern Iowa and is currently an MFA candidate at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.  Deppe’s work has a strong environmental and science component; she incorporates elements she has gathered, whether it be natural, such as living plants, bark and wood, or reclaimed industrial materials, such as textiles, rubber and plastics, into her work in some way.  Her sculptures often have a dynamic, flowing surface pattern created by the manipulation of these materials.  She strives to juxtapose natural and man-made materials to show a tension between the natural and industrial worlds.

"Flamenco Revisited" Stands Majestic in Porter Park

Flamenco Revisited

by Ruth Aizuss Migdal

The Public Art League is proud to announce the installation of Flamenco Revisited, a sculpture by Ruth Aizuss Migdal.  With assistance from a dedicated crew from the Champaign Park District, the piece was installed in Porter Park (near the corner of Windsor and Rising Roads) on Monday, November 17.  Flamenco Revisited represents the 49th sculpture the Public Art League has brought to the community since 2010, and its installation is possible thanks to the generous support of Barham Benefit Group.

Ruth Aizuss Migdal received her BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and MFA from the University of Illinois in Champaign, both in painting and printmaking.  She has had a prolific academic career, with various lecturer positions and professorships at colleges and universities across the country, multiple publications and citations, and participation in conferences from New York to California.  In the 1970s she became a sculptor, working with clay and exploring shapes of the female human torso in its many complexities.   After a workshop in mold making in 1990, she switched to bronze, which she continues to use because of its permanence and flexibility.

Her current work continues in the direction of the dancing lady, which symbolizes her defiance of society’s low expectations for woman, and her stand against negativity.  She created a series of powerful female dancers to exemplify their free spirit, joyfulness and perseverance.  According to Migdal, “these large abstracted female sculptures express independence, strength, and a lust for life.  This series of work exudes happiness and positivity.” 

Number of Strangers Reduced at The Urbana Free Library

Artist Timothy C. Flood and "Stranger Reduction Zone"

The Public Art League is proud to welcome "Stranger Reduction Zone" by Timothy C. Flood (Denver, CO) to the community.  This interactive, educational and fun piece was installed by the south entrance of the Urbana Free Library...where is should receive many visitors each day.

Instructions affixed to the piece encourage strangers to meet.  New acquaintances can then press a button to hear greetings in a variety of languages.  The artist states that "Stranger Reduction Zone is an interactive public intervention piece which aims to help individuals get to know each other better, thereby building a stronger urban community."

Stranger Reduction Zone represents the 48th sculpture installed through the PAL program since 2010.  A big thank you to the City of Urbana Public Arts Commission for the sponsorship of this piece.