Not all art belongs in a museum.
Welcome to Cary Visual Art’s eighth annual Outdoor Sculpture Exhibition, which kicks off on Friday, July 17 with a fun-to-watch installation process involving cranes, ladders and sweat. (That’s tomorrow!)
“The Outdoor Sculpture Exhibition contributes to the Triangle’s rich and vibrant cultural landscape by offering a diverse and approachable collection of public art — sculpture meant to delight, incite discussion and create an element of discovery,” said Mary Davis Wallace, executive director of Cary Visual Art.
“Public art is magical in that anyone can become inspired at any given moment; no tickets, no admission, just a moment to consider the piece that’s before you.”
Party!
After the installations comes the party: An Opening Night artists’ reception launches at 6 p.m., to celebrate the exhibition, the artists and 2015 juror Clifford Chieffo, who will announce the Best in Show award.
Chieffo, who maintains a studio and residence in Cary, is emeritus distinguished research professor of art, founder of the Art & Art History Department of Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. As a practicing artist he’s had more than 60 national and international exhibitions of his paintings and prints.
Party guests will meet Chieffo and the 10 nationally-recognized sculptors in town for the installation of their works; the reception also features food from local restaurant Patrick Jane’s, beer by New Belguim, wine by HobNob, and live music by Bill Mann.
The 2015 exhibiting artists are Jonathan Bowling; Robert Coon; Phil Hathcock; Hanna Jubran; Ray Katz; Jeff Kiefer; Gary Mitchell; Shawn Morin; Ken Thompson; and Nathan Willson.
Local Winners
Also at the reception, meet the winners of the first Cary Visual Art Young Cary Artists Educational Scholarship, a program which provides $1,000 scholarships to high school seniors who have been accepted into an arts or design program at a college or university.
The honorees are: Megan Bonner, Athens Drive High; Emorie Estep, Apex High; Celine Guilbaud, Cary High; Jared Kengla, Green Hope High; Jasmine Lang, Cary High; Emilie Miller, William G. Enloe High; Isabelle Miranda, Cardinal Gibbons High; Amanda Reza, Enloe High; Colin Rudd, Cary Christian School; Micaelah Scott, Cary Christian; and Caitlyn Shanahan, Cardinal Gibbons.
Artwork by the scholarship awardees will be on exhibit during the reception.
Tomorrow’s the day!
Viewing the outdoor art along Academy Street is free, and the first installation happens at 9 a.m., at Town Hall.
Tickets to tomorrow night’s reception are $40 and can be purchased at caryvisualart.org or at the door.
For more info, see caryvisualart.org.
