Headline: Downtown Erie Presents a New Sculpture Walk to Feature National Artists

Author: Sanjana Bhawnani, A&E Editor

Svb6108@psu.edu

Erie, Pennsylvania is bringing to town a new public art project in the bayfront area that will hopefully be put up in June and is planning to run till August 2023. After years of sculptures of fish and other amphibians, the Erie Downtown Development Corporation and Erie Arts & Culture are collaborating to bring to citizens a very different but exciting project. The new Erie Sculpture walk will feature national musical, artsy, and also local artists. These sculptures will have a different concept all together unlike the fishes and frogs created by local sculptor David Seitzinger.

The Erie Sculpture walks intends to have at least 15 sculptures that will be confined in a six-block area in downtown Erie right outside the Erie Art Museum. Viewers can also get a good glimpse along State Street north of Perry Square, and along the gorgeous bayfront. This location was planned so as to highlight and glorify those renowned and crowded areas where people walk the most. It is rumored that the Erie Arts & Culture has already sent proposals requesting for artists interested in being a part of the project. Erie Arts & Culture’s executive director, Patrick Fisher confirmed that “artists throughout North America can apply” and that they are looking for “teams who have established reputations for design, execution, and installation of original outdoor sculptures.”

Furthermore, the team informs the public that the new installations will be temporary public art exhibitions that will rotate every two to three years in order to maintain the originality and encourage tourists and visitors to return. Even better, the organizers have announced that the sculptures will be for sale to those interested. This project hopes to expose Erie and not only expose national cities and artists to the nature of the city but also to expose residents of Erie to different kinds of artistic representations and national artists. Additionally, the organizers hope to put Erie in a national conversation about public art says Patrick Fisher, executive director of the Erie Arts & Culture.

Increasing the significance and credibility of the project, Fisher has announced that applications for artists and their submissions are due this month on the 22^nd. It is believed that an independent panel of judges will review the applications in order to prevent biases and objective judgments of the pieces. The team hopes to make selections by the 25^th of March, announce the winners on May 6^th, install them in June and hopefully unveil them on the first of July. In addition, Fisher and the team further specified that the sculptures will be placed on some private properties with permission. Some important Potential spots include the campuses of Gannon University and UPMC Hamot. Lastly, it is good to know that Fisher and other organizers wish to fulfill people’s desires to be outside in these unfortunate COVID times. With proper social distancing measures, the team hopes that visitors can get some fresh air while enjoying the hard work that will surely pay off.

Photo attribution: [Jack Hanrahan/ Erie Times-news]