5 minute read
Art with Heart
Art with NONPROFIT ART AROUND THE CORNER INSTALLS NEW SCULPTURES SOON By Marianne Hamilton Heart
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Think Green
Artist: Richard Prazen
THINK GREEN / Richard Prazen 4’6” x 5’ x 30” Welded Steel [bench was also created by the artist]
Bad to the Bone
Artist: Richard Prazen A heavy metal rocker, thrashing on his guitar. A fourteen-foot woman, rotating in space. A smiling green frog, reclining on a bench.
What could this trio possibly have in common? The greater St. George community will find out in March when the new Art Around the Corner (AAC) outdoor sculpture galleries make their debut.
While AAC typically installs new art each spring, the COVID-19 pandemic put the 2020 installation on hold. But the Art Around the Corner board of directors believes the time is right to update the sculpture galleries. “It’s a new year, and we feel like the community needs to see engaging, uplifting artwork, now more than ever,” said Marilyn Kanas, AAC’s marketing coordinator. “We’re excited that residents and visitors can enjoy this collection in a very safe environment – outdoors! And as always, it’s available 24/7, absolutely free.” Since 2004, the nonprofit, all-volunteer Art Around the Corner Foundation (formerly the Pioneer Center for the Arts Foundation) has selected and installed 3D artwork in St. George, all of which is available for purchase or lease. In its earliest years, AAC placed mostly bronze sculptures at various locations throughout the city. Roughly a decade ago, the AAC team opted to centralize the outdoor sculpture gallery in Town Square and along Main Street. Today, “satellite” galleries are also installed at City Hall and Intermountain St. George Regional Hospital.
“We felt it would be easier and more fun to place the sculptures in one area where people could take a leisurely stroll and see them all,” recalled St. George City Council member (and former AAC Chair) Dannielle Larkin. “It’s always rewarding to see families, couples, and singles out for a walk around downtown, enjoying the art.”
The 2021 collection includes a diverse array of sculpture styles and materials. Along with bronze figures created by such world-renowned sculptors and longtime AAC contributors as Karen Coburn, Cheryl Collins, and Gary Lee Price, the community can look forward to multiple works crafted in aluminum and welded steel.
Orem resident Deveren Farley—whose “Giant Spider” prompted lively dialogue during its 2018–2019 installation (and versions of which have since been purchased by two local businesses)—will invite the community to “Get Your Mind Rolling” with his kinetic metal powerball machine, complete with bright yellow lacrosse balls twirling inside. After Richard Prazen’s seven-foot clock gave St. George “A Window in Time” over the past two years, the Salt Lake Community College metal art professor will be bringing his “Bad to the Bone” heavy-metal musician and “Think Green” frog to town, showcasing Prazen’s expertise in welded steel and his whimsical sense of humor. Prazen also has been commissioned by the City of St. George and Washington County to create a towering metal sculpture, soon to be placed in the Main/ Tabernacle roundabout, to commemorate the September presentation of the 2021 Ironman 70.3 World Championships.
As always, the nearly thirty pieces of new artwork will have something for everyone – and ideally, something that will be both memorable and conversation-prompting. Said Larkin: “My friend Kathy Thayne left St. George for a few years to serve a religious mission in Africa. When she pulled back into town and saw the sculptures, she burst into tears. She said she hadn’t even realized how much the beautification of our space had meant to her until she was without it for a time.” Then Larkin added, “I’ve always felt that art isn’t just for our eyes; it enhances our hearts and our souls as well.”
“Spring is a time of rebirth, which makes it the perfect time to see the new sculptures being installed in St. George each year,” said Mayor Jon Pike. “The City is fortunate to have the hard-working Art Around the Corner volunteers doing their best to enhance the quality of life here. The outdoor sculpture galleries make our beautiful city even more so.”
Michelle Graves, Deputy Director of Arts and Events for the City of St. George, added her thanks to her colleagues and the AAC team. “We are so blessed to live in a community that supports the arts,” Graves said. “We are even more blessed by the accessibility of impressive public art that adorns our community. We owe a debt of gratitude to Art Around the Corner for their huge volunteer efforts to invigorate our public spaces each year.”
The Fool Artist: Kimber Fiebiger Good Morning Sunshine Artist: Reven Marie Swanson
About the Author Marianne L. Hamilton is a veteran journalist whose work appears in regional and national publications, and a marketing writer for Fortune 500 corporate clients. When not race walking, hiking, or teaching water aerobics, she is a member of the St. George Arts Commission, Board Chair of Art Around the Corner, and is the Special Events Manager for Docutah. She and her husband Doug are also co-administrators of the St. George Wine Club, and race directors for the Huntsman World Senior Games.
