By Lynndi Lockenour
Public Art will soon become another method for St. Charles to show its support for the arts. Rory Riddler, President of the City Council, approached Joyce Rosen of the Foundry Art Center about the public art idea some months ago. Riddler’s idea was fashioned after a program called “Art ‘Round Town” in Saugatuck, Michigan. “I was enthralled with the way their program built up over the years,” he said. “I wanted to bring something like that to St. Charles.”
The basic principals behind the public art program in St. Charles includes the city providing locations for the art to be displayed and installing an anchorage system to secure the artwork. Through a process of jury review, a professional selection committee will select up to 10 sculptures and will consider its selection of work based on site location. Reproductions of each selected sculpture will be published in a brochure with a map indicating a walking/driving tour of the sites.
Each piece selected will be awarded a $1,000 honorarium and a $5,000 Public People’s Choice Award will be given for one piece of sculpture judged to be the “The Best of Show.” Deadline for entry is October 10, 2005. This call for sculptures is open to all artists working in North America. Riddler said another nice thing about the public art is that while it’s on display for that year, the sculptures can also be for sale. “In the other program people bought the art and then donated it to local libraries and schools,” he said. “I hope perhaps that will eventually be a possibility here in St. Charles.”
Part of the “Art in Public Places” will be a portion called “Historic Figures in Bronze.” Through a process of jury review, a professional selection committee will choose up to one marquette to cast a life-sized sculpture of Daniel Boone seated on a bench. Other historical figures for the “Historical Figures in Bronze” category include: Mary Easton Sibley, Saint Philippine Duchene, Pierre Pointe Dusable and Alexander McNair. Riddler said when considering figures for the bronze category he tried to think of people who were not already well represented in the area, but who played key roles in St. Charles history. “Having these bronze statues will add value and let people know that St. Charles is a city which harbors a safe place for the arts.”
The bronze statues, Riddler said, will try to be located in the area where the historical figure had their greatest influence on St. Charles. For the “Art in Public Places” portion of the contest, Riddler said each member of the City Council will select a location within their ward which they feel would be appealing to place a piece of public art. “At this time we are really trying to anchor down locations and get permission from business owners,” Riddler said.
Interpreting the art is what Rosen looks forward to for the public. “I think by having the art in public places it gives everyone the opportunity to interpret the art, even if they’ve never been to an art museum in their lives,” she said. “Whether they love it or hate it, interpreting art is something everyone should get to experience.”
A second aspect to the “Art in Public Places” program is the plan to eventually have a sculpture park available to the public. Riddler said some think New Town would make a great location with all it’s new parks, but he said Rosen would like to see the sculpture park located closer to Main Street. “People enjoy art for art’s sake, but as a whole we are trying to gain a reputation that we’re starting to build a City which really is geared toward supporting the arts.”
Riddler also extended a call-out to St. Charles citizens to let their councilmen know of locations within the ward, which might be suitable for public art. The “Art In Public Places” will most likely have a public celebration each year to kick off that year’s sculptures. “We want to give people a way to publicly get involved with this,” Riddler said. For more information on entering the sculpture contest or the “Art in Public Places” program, please call the Foundry Art Center at 636-255-0270 or visit their Website at www.foundryartcentre.com.
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