BRINGING ART TO THE STREETS, in essence to the general public, excites me.
Not all of us have the opportunity to tour big city art galleries or other places that showcase the creations of renowned sculptors.
Martin Eichinger of Portland, Oregon, created this graceful “Bird in the Hand” bronze sculpture valued at $14,500 and posed near the Mankato Civic Center during my visit there in 2011.
So when communities like Mankato and Bemidji, Minnesota; Sioux Falls, South Dakota; Eau Claire, Wisconsin; and Mason City, Iowa, bring sculptures to the streets, I want to stand up and shout, “Thank you!”
Details define “Reading Magic,” a $8,500 bronze sculpture by Julie Jones of Fort Collins, Colorado, displayed in the 2011 CityArt Walking Sculpture Tour in Mankato.
I’ve toured the Bemidji and Mankato outdoor sculpture collections and recently spotted several of the 33 sculptures on loan and/or permanent display as part of River City Sculptures on Parade in Mason City. The artwork is exhibited for a year before a new set of sculptures rolls into town. All of the art is for sale, so some remains permanently in the host cities.
Isn’t this just the greatest idea?
Here’s a look at some of the sculptures, and the settings in which they are placed, in Mason City:
This downtown Mason City building, the former First National Bank, dwarfs a corner placed sculpture, “The Thinker,” by Serge Mozhnevsky. John Dillinger and other gangsters robbed the bank on March 13, 1934, escaping with about $52,000.
Directly across the street you’ll find “Bruno” by artist Eric Thorsen in the Federal Avenue Plaza.
The Plaza, a green space (of artificial turf, cement and bricks) in downtown Mason City, provides an ideal location for sculptures.
Sculptor Martha Pettigrew’s “Fish Story,” featuring a grandfather and two of his grandchildren, has been purchased as a permanent part of the city’s sculpture collection. The red bench was recently replaced by a less distracting gray bench. The art is located in the Plaza.
Art on the Plaza extends beyond the sculptures. Look up.
The buildings themselves are art.
The Plaza presents a welcoming and inviting spot to linger in the heart of downtown Mason City.
Martha Pettigrew’s “American Architect,” a portrait of Frank Lloyd Wright, stands permanently in Central Park. The famous Prairie School style architect designed a house, hotel and bank in Mason City.
The Meredith Willson Footbridge, named after “The Music Man” composer, was built in 1940 and spans Willow Creek. It is, in itself, a work of art.
“Kinetic Weather Disturbance Ensemble,” a sculpture by Douglas Walker, is located at one end of the bridge. It is now part of the city’s permanent sculpture collection.
Just another view of the long and scenic bridge. On the afternoon we visited, three deer frolicked in the creek.
© Copyright 2014 Audrey Kletscher Helbling
Minnesota Prairie Roots 
Thank you, Audrey, for the delightful online stroll! It’s wonderful to view the artistic jewels of a prairie towns nearby, but which I don’t have time to drive there and visit. You give me places we must put on our summer travels list.
There’s so much to see right here in the Midwest. Nearby.
Loving the posts lately and the beautiful art – I so want a Bruno in my hood 🙂 Happy Hump Day!
Laughing. I rather like that Bruno, too.
Love the Kinetic Weather Disturbance Ensemble! I noticed a lot of public art the last time I was in Sioux Falls, SD, but, alas, did not photograph it.
We just visited Fraconia Sculpture Park today by Shafer. Wow. Now that’s a place to see and would not be all that far for you. Free, too.
Aren’t sculptures just the best….and the silhouettes in the windows are very cool…nice capture, I can see how that could be easily missed. Rochester has a few sculptures in and around the downtown area, but I’d like to see more 🙂
Rochester would seem like the perfect city to participate in an annual sculpture walk.
I love to see sculptures in parks and cities as well. That one of the musical instruments is amazing. When I was in Central Park I loved to see the sculptures that are spread throughout the park. And I love how when art is in public places like these, it’s available to all citizens – for free! xx
My husband and I just toured a free sculpture park in eastern Minnesota today. I’ll be posting about that.
Great post. I have seen some of the sculptures in SD so nice to enjoy the outdoors and see art at the same time.
Art in the outdoors rates high on my list of things to enjoy.
My fave: “Kinetic Weather Disturbance Ensemble”!!! Rapid City, SD, has the presidents on each corner and Cresco, IA, has its own beautiful works of art. I, too, love it when a town embraces art in a major way!!!!
Oh, yes, Cresco. I still have not posted about our visit there in the summer of 2013.
Slacker!!!!! LOL!!!!!!
I really like the horn sculpture, perfect for the “Music Man” town! I do enjoy outdoor sculptures, especially in smaller towns where maybe one doesn’t expect them.
These outdoor sculpture tours seem to be catching on. And, yes, I’d like to see more of these in small towns.
Bruno is my favorite—-he is just a snuggly kind of sculpture, isn’t he? No reveal of how hard it was to get that footbridge picture?? 🙂
Ha, ha. You would have been proud of me, pushing past my fear of heights to climb, like a mountain goat, upon rocky trails to great heights at two state parks this week. Randy was such an encourager and there to hold my hand, mostly so I wouldn’t fall.
A new one this year of humpty dumpty tickles my fancy and apparently others as it was voted as the one to stay. Many of them are now permanent
I love these sculpture walks and especially when a community can acquire a work of art permanently.