St. Joseph Mi. Announces Theme For 2011 Summer Public Art Project

The City of St. Joseph is pleased to announce the 2011 Public Art Display, “Barnyard at the Beach”. This is the 7th year showcasing public art in downtown St. Joseph, with previous displays being “Horses on the Beach”, “Beach Bears, “Hot Cars Cool Beaches”, “Boats and Beaches”, “Surf ‘N Safari”, and “Hot Diggity Dogs”.

The City is grateful to St. Joseph Improvement Association, a major sponsor, contributor, and supporter of public art in downtown St. Joseph. Bob Gerbel, President, states, “It is important to keep up the momentum with public art since it is proven that it brings people to our community spending dollars in our downtown retail stores, which in turn, makes for a sustainable community. The merchants had a great 2010 so it is a win-win for everyone. We enjoy partnering with the City of St. Joseph in making St. Joseph a progressive community.” There will be 14 different types of farm animals included in the 2011 public art display, with a total of 43 pieces to be painted. Among the animals will be a longhorn steer, dairy cows, a bull, turkeys, pigs, sheep, goats, roosters, hens, and ducks.

“When there was rumor that the City may discontinue public art due to budget constraints, we merchants got together and some of us attended a City Commission meeting in late summer asking the City Commission to reconsider”, stated Janet Dykstra, owner of Kilwin’s. “Customers continually come into Kilwin’s and tell us how wonderful the public art is. Families now plan their summer vacations around the public art display with excitement to see what will be next year. We are very appreciative to the City for their leadership and hard work in continuing the public art project next year.”

Now that the theme has been chosen and the farm animals ordered, the City is calling for artists to paint these fun fiberglass statues. Interested artists can fill out an application, which is now online at www.sjcity.com. A design/sketch will need to be submitted along with the application. Application deadline is December 15th. Artists selected will be notified by January 7, 2011 and their animal will be delivered to them in mid- January with a requested completion date of April 15, 2011. The City Commission and staff truly appreciate the support of the artists over these past years. Never would this have been successful without artists’ cooperation!

Sponsors are also being requested. A sponsor’s responsibility includes paying the artist $300 for their paint supplies and time, and, in turn, they will have their name placed on the plaque near the finished piece on the street as well as in the glossy brochure. Artists and interested sponsors are encouraged to contact Susan Solon at City Hall (269)983-5541 if they are interested in painting and/or sponsoring one of the 43 farm animals. Again, applications are now available on the City’s web site at sjcity.com or artists/sponsors can stop at City Hall, located at 700 Broad Street, to pick up an application form.

If you have questions, please contact Susan Solon (269) 983-5541 or by email at solon@sjcity.comThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .