Got Sculpture?

When people think of American monuments, images of the Washington Monument, the Statue of Liberty, or Mount Rushmore often come to mind. True, all of these landmarks are important parts of our national culture, but they are only a small part of the larger picture.

Look around your community and you’ll probably find a sculpture or two, or three, or hundreds! While they may not be nationally recognized, these local art works are monuments, too!

SOS! wants to honor the beauty, significance, and diversity of our nation’s collection of public sculpture this summer. We will celebrate the first ever Sculpture Day on July 4th, and we want your community to join the party with activities during the weeks between Memorial Day and Independence Day. Get ready to discover fun and easy ways to recognize all American monuments, large and small!

What activities can we plan?

Rededications
It’s always fun to remember your community’s history. See if you can find old photographs, programs, or people who remember the original dedication of a local sculpture, then reenact it! Consider celebrating the anniversary of a sculpture (millennium celebrations for those erected in 1900 can be especially fun) or honor the birthday of the subject of your sculpture or the artist who created it. You can even use the event to mark the anniversary of an important date in your community’s history! Bury a time capsule at the site for future celebrations.

Sculpture Tours
When it comes to sculpture, the more, the merrier! Many towns and cities have more than one piece of public art and a sculpture tour of the downtown area, park, museum, or sculpture garden is the perfect way to renew local interest. Sponsor a parade or walking tour in an area that is densely populated with sculpture, offer a bus or trolley tour around town or scavenger hunts if your art is scattered about. If most of your sculpture is of the memorial variety, a “haunted” cemetery walk at dusk can be great fun on a warm summer evening!

Make a Difference
Sculpture Day is a perfect opportunity to do a little custodial work for your public sculpture. Hold a Clean-the-Park-Day to pick up litter and do a little landscaping around a sculpture. Planting a tree nearby is a great way to mark the occasion for years to come! These events would also be the perfect time to perform annual maintenance or raise awareness and funds for sculptures in need of treatment. Auctions, bazaars, yard or bake sales, battle reenactments, fairs, and dances are all easy and fun ways to raise money for the cause, and every little bit counts!

Feasts and Fun
Throw a party! These celebrations can be as large or as small as you like! May, June and July are perfect for a picnic. Sponsor a barbeque or a “battle of the bands” to raise funds for a sculpture’s treatment, or just to thank it for decorating your city. Perform a play in the park, have a jazz night in a sculpture garden, or offer a “drive-thru” rush hour treat at a sculpture located on a busy commuter route. Sponsor a read-aloud fest about the subject of the sculpture, parks, summer, art, or anything imaginative. This is a great way to celebrate sculpture at libraries.

Art for Art’s Sake
Why not celebrate public art—with more art? Photo, sketch, video or poetry contests are a good way to get people in you community thinking about the meaning of their town’s sculpture. This could be a wonderful opportunity to showcase local talent, and it would be great a chance for kids to be creative. Exhibits or broadcasts of the winning entries would also increase visitation of the inspirational sculptures.

Check your Calendar
You may find that a local milestone or established tradition or event could easily incorporate a sculpture theme. Such cooperation can lighten your workload and ensure strong attendance. If you can’t find a good match or need inspiration, check out our sculpture planner for the year 2000.

Click here for an enrollment form!

Photos courtesy Murray's Photography; The Houston Chronicle; unknown; Jan Arata; and the Greenwich (CT) Arts Council.

To see previous Preservation Projects of the Month, click here.

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