2013 Finalists Unveiled!

The Public Art League received 55 fantastic entries from all over the world (from as far as Austria and China) in response to the 2013 Call to Artists.  Of the entries, our advisory Jury panel selected 12 that we hope to bring to Champaign-Urbana this year.

This year's finalists are:

 “Ascend the Wind”

  by Michael Helbing,  (Berwyn, IL)

  Height:  15’,  Width:  11’,  Depth:  5’,  Weight:  350lbs,  Materials:  Stainless Steel

  “The Shield of Chichen Itza”

  by James K. Johnson,  (Charleston, IL)

  Height:  10’4”,  Width:  5’8”,  Depth:  18”,  Weight:  1200lbs,  Materials:  Cor-Ten Steel

  “Uppercutted”

  by Ted Sitting Crow Garner,  (Chicago, IL)

  Height:  12’9”, Width:  4’6”,  Depth:  5’10”,  Weight:  750lbs,  Materials:  Painted, Welded Steel

  “Stanchion”

  by Dan Perry,  (Waterloo, IA)

  Height:  8’7”,  Width:  6’,  Depth:  3’4”,  Weight:  300lbs,  Materials:  Painted Mild Steel, Industrial Enamel

  “Sunder Planet”

  by Stephen Luecking,  (Chicago, IL)

  Height:  94”,  Width:  94”,  Depth:  94”
Materials:  Painted Wood

  “Tic Tac Toe Bench”

  by Benson Sculpture, LLC,  (Jackson, TN)

  Height:  8’, Width:  8’, Depth:  8’, Weight:  250lbs,  Materials:  Kiln Dried Yellow Pine

  “The Statue of Yong 2/100 – Evil Mind”

  by Jeong Yong Choi “Yong”,  (Chicago, IL)

  Height:  72”, Width:  60”
Depth:  37.5”, Weight:  700lbs

Materials:  Bronze, Steel, Artificial Grass

 “Reclamation Tower”

  by Michael Collins,  (Longview, IL)

  Height:  16',  Width:  4’,  Depth:  4’,  Weight:  400lbs

Materials:  Wood, Steel Copper, Aluminum

The following sculptures were sponsored at the 2013 Unveiling Party.  We look forward to meeting them soon!

  “Glory Pipes 2.0”      **SPONSORED**

  by Stephen Fairfield,  (Saint David, AZ)

  Height:  18’,  Width:  10’ (top)
Depth:  4’ (square),  Weight:  500lbs

  Materials:  Aluminum, Steel, LEDs, Electronics

  “Circle of Friends”   **SPONSORED**

  by Karen Crain,  (Littleton, CO)

  Height:  47”,  Width:  40”,  Depth:  20”
Weight:  450lbs,  Materials:  Bronze

  “Fettle”     **SPONSORED**

  by Luke Achterberg  (Lexington, KY)

  Height:  128”,  Width:  58”,  Depth:  40”
Weight:  350lbs,  Materials:  Paint on Steel

  “It’s a MisTree”     **SPONSORED**

  by Michael Helbing,  (Berwyn, IL)

  Height:  15’, Width:  6’, Depth:  11’
Weight:  250-300lbs, Materials:  Stainless Steel

The Public Art League now needs your help to bring all of these incredible sculptures to the community.  A bronze sponsorship of $2,000 will allow PAL to lease a sculpture for two years and have it installed for the public to enjoy.  There are also many other sponsorship possibilities and ways you can support the program (sponsorship).  Please contact us if you have an interest in helping bring more great public art to C-U!

2013 Sculpture Unveiling

Wednesday, June 19 - 5:30p - 7:00p The Fireplace Room @ Big Grove Tavern One Main Street, Downtown Champaign Join us on Wednesday, June 19 from 5:30 - 7:00p at Big Grove Tavern as we unveil the sculptures that could make their way to Champaign-Urbana this year!  Artists from all over the country have submitted their entries and you will have a chance to see the wonderful pieces that have been selected for installation. Please join us for this exciting evening! Wine, beer and hors d'oeurves provided Please RSVP by June 14 to whitney.wheatman@gmail.com Thank you to our generous sponsors: The Barham Benefit Group and The Robeson Family Benefit Fund

Downtown Champaign Welcomes "Counter Rhythm"

When strolling down Main Street in Downtown Champaign, you will see "Counter Rhythm" by artist Charles Ellis of Indianapolis, IN.  The sculpture is installed in the front window of Jos. Kuhn & Co. at 33 E. Main St.  To describe the sculpture, the artist provides the following definition:

"counter (contradict/ oppose)_rhythm (cadence/ measure)"

"A communal cadence of repetitive forces springs forth from a canted established base to find its individual radical essence."

Thank you to Jos. Kuhn & Co. for the sponsorship of this wonderful piece. 

Introducing S4PAL!

What is S4PAL?  It’s a guide, a game, a poll and a new kind of social media!  Developed by Studio 2D and 2wav, S4PAL is an online application that allows you to give your impression of Public Art League sculptures through the use of descriptive adjectives.  Once you have provided your impressions, you can see how your answers compare to others who responded.  Simply go to www.s4pal.org and experience S4PAL!

S4PAL is inspired by the Stradjectives™ iPad app, a design strategy tool developed by Studio 2D and 2wav for finding key words and color palettes.

Art is Love

The Buzz Weekly wrote a nice article about the Public Art League and Board President David Wilcoxen.  Please follow the link below to see the article.

Enjoy!

'Art is Love' for David Wilcoxen

Art Lives Here Year-Round!

As part of this weekend’s Boneyard Arts Festival, The Champaign City Center Partnership would like you to know that art lives here year-round.  Take your picture next to any Public Art League sculpture and post it on the Partnership’s Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/ChampaignCenterPartnership) to be entered into a drawing to win one of four $25 Visa gift cards (generously donated by the University of Illinois Employees Credit Union).  Public Art League sculpture location maps will be available at all Downtown/Midtown Champaign Boneyard Arts Festival locations.

PAL News - Spring 2013

2013 Call to Artists

The Public Art League is seeking artists to display sculptures in the Champaign-Urbana community.  Selected sculptures will be installed as part of PAL's rotating sculpture leasing program once sufficient donations are pledged.  The deadline for submissions is June 7, 2013. 

More information and downloadable application forms are available at http://www.publicartleague.org/artists.html

"Single Twist" at the iHotel

 

"Single Twist" By Mary Angers (Long Branch, NJ)

If you happen to be strolling through the lovely lobby of the iHotel, you will notice "Single Twist" by Mary Angers.  The piece is devoted to the geometry of moving planes and forms.

Thank you to Fox/Atkins Development, LLC for the site sponsorship of this piece.

PAL Launches New Website

The Public Art League would like to thank the Graphic Design Program at Parkland College for selecting PAL as one of their service learning projects for a web design course in fall 2012.  From a number of fantastic designs developed by the course's students, the submission from designer Scott Sheltra was selected.  Please visit www.publicartleague.org to see our new site!  Thank you again to Parkland's Graphic Design Department, its students and to Professor Paul Young for overseeing the project.

PAL Welcomes a New Board Member

Please join the Public Art League in welcoming Whitney E.W. Hartman to the PAL Board.  Whitney graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a Bachelor's degree in political science.  Following graduation, she worked for the I Hotel and Conference Center where she fulfilled a number of positions and responsibilities including sales, marketing, and
 operations. 

Currently, she is finishing her thesis for her Master's degree in Bioethics from Wake Forest University (Winston-Salem, NC).  Whitney is married to Andrew Hartman, of JSM Apartments.

Sculpture Maps Available!

 

A big thanks to designer Gretchen Wieshuber (Studio 2D) for contributing her time and talents to the design of our 2013 sculpture maps.  The brochures show the locations of all of the Public Art League sculptures installed in Champaign-Urbana.  Pick one up at brochure stands throughout the community or contact us at info@publicartleague.org and we will send you one.   



Downloadable maps are available at:
www.publicartleague.org/PALMapFlyer.pdf

Thanks again Gretchen!  

 

It's Time to Renew!

As spring approaches, it is time to renew your Individual, Family or Business Friendship with the Public Art League.  Your support as a Friend is critical to the effort to bring more public art to our community.  Visit http://www.publicartleague.org/join.html and renew (or join) today!