Public Art League's 2016 Unveiling Celebration!

Tuesday, July 26, 2016

5:30 - 7:00 p.m.

Art Mart

1705 S. Prospect Ave.

Champaign, IL

Please join us Tuesday, July 26th from 5:30 - 7:00 p.m. at Art Mart as we unveil the sculptures that could make their way to the Champaign-Urbana area this year!  Artists from all over the country have submitted their entries and you will get a chance to see the wonderful pieces that have been selected for installation.

Hors d'oeuvres Provided.  Beer & Wine Available (Cash Bar)

Please RSVP by Friday, July 22:  RSVP here

2016 Call to Artists

The Public Art League is currently seeking artist submissions of sculpture for installation in 2016.  Please see our current Call to Artists here.

Please note that the entry deadline is 5:00 p.m. CST on July 14th.

Thank you.

Public Art League Wine Tasting

Please join us on Thursday, April 21, 2016 at the new Art Mart for the Public Art League Wine Tasting.  Discover great wines, enjoy appetizers and support public art.

The event will be held from 4:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.  Feel free to stop by any time!  We will be at the beautiful new Art Mart at 1705 S. Prospect Ave. in Champaign.  Entry is $25 and will go towards a great cause!  In addition, there will be special discounts on wines ordered at the event and a portion of the event's wine sales will be donated to PAL!

Tickets may be purchased online here:  Buy Tickets

Tickets are also available for purchase at Art Mart.

2015 Installation Celebration!

On the evening of Tuesday, December 8, 2015, please join us to celebrate the installation of the new sculptures in the Champaign-Urbana area (including Mahomet) over the past year.

The event will take place at Biaggi's (2235 S. Neil St. in Champaign) on Tuesday, December 8th from 5:30 - 7:30pm. Appetizers and a cash bar will be available.

Please RSVP by Friday, December 8 here if you plan to attend. If you have any questions, please feel free to email us.

Join us for a night of food, drink and friends of the Public Art League as we celebrate the new sculptures and their sponsors!

"Triumph" - Celebrating Another Great Year of Public Art

"Triumph"

by Benjamin Pierce (Cape Girardeau, MO)

The Public Art League is pleased to welcome "Triumph" by Benjamin Pierce (Cape Girardeau, MO) to the breezeway of the M2 Building in downtown Champaign.  The sculpture was constructed from welded steel and stands 9' tall.

"Triumph" is the most recent sculpture for Pierce within a series of work titled "balance."  In the series, the artist tries to focus on form and material more than ever.  The center oculus captures space and creates a window for the viewer to look through.  The artist states: "We live in a society that has forgotten how to enjoy our surroundings, with our faces always in a laptop or a smart phone it's difficult to be able to stop and smell the roses.  My hope for this work is to capture someone's attention long enough for them to see something unexpected through my sculpture."

The Public Art League would like to thank Councilmember Marci Dodds, Cody Sokolski, and One Main Development for the site sponsorship of this piece.

The Research Park Welcomes "Separated Together"

"Separated Together"

with artist Benjamin Pierce

The Public Art League is pleased to welcome "Separated Together" by Benjamin Pierce (Cape Girardeau, MO) to the corner of Oak Street and Hazelwood Drive (in the University of Illinois Research Park) in Champaign.  The sculpture was purchased by the University of Illinois Research Park and can be enjoyed for years to come at the site.

Of the sculpture, the artist states:  "Utilizing the gap or the idea of missing space or something removed encourages thought, not just on form and composition but treatment of negative space.  I have taken what seems to have been one form and taken something from it or pulled it apart.   The transformation of two things or shapes into something else, beyond what is there but also what is NOT there."

A big thanks to the University of Illinois Research Park for supporting public art in our community!

Two Pieces by Carl Billingsley Installed in Champaign

"Prism Arc-Top Disc"

with Artist Carl Billingsley

The Public Art League welcomes two pieces by Carl Billingsley (Ayden, NC) to Champaign.  "Prism Arc-Top Disc" was installed in the wedged landscape area where Chester Street splits from University Avenue (by the Illinois Terminal).  The sculpture is one of a series of sculptures by Billingsley that are based on color theory.  Each sculpture in the series is designed so that the colors change as the view point and angle of light change.  Reflected color is utilized to 'fool the eye' as red seems to be orange, yellow turns into green and so on.

The sculpture was brought to the site with the help of a generous donation from Barak Rosenshine.  The sculpture was installed with assistance from the City of Champaign.

"Platonic Solids" (pictured below) was installed by the artist at the top of the hill at the southeast corner of Neil Street and Stadium Drive.  "Platonic Solids" is a classically balanced vertical composition that references the Platonic Solids of Greek mathematical thought.  Plato was known for speaking his mind in public as well as for his innovative ideas about philosophy and science.  "Platonic Solids" is an opportunity for the public to consider such ideas in the contemporary context of the public street.

The sculpture was brought to the site with the help of a generous donation from MCDJ, LLC.

"Platonic Solids"

with Artist Carl Billingsley and Mike Hosier of MCDJ, LLC