SIOUX CITY | When a fledgling group of young professionals decided to start a public art project, few, if any, knew a Jasper Johns from a Seward Johnson. What they lacked in artistic expertise they made up for in energy and that was enough.
Sculptures by regional artists have been decorating downtown streets since 2005.
Members of the Sioux City Growth Organization founded Sculpt Siouxland hoping to make the downtown area more appealing with public art. The initiative grew into a private nonprofit dedicated to continuing that mission.
Not only has Sculpt Siouxland livened the cityscape but it’s helped artists further their careers.
Zachary Bowman, of Ankeny, Iowa, has returned each year since his first sculpture “Fireman’s Delight” was accepted in 2012, when he was in college.
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“They aren’t the highest paying as far as the stipend goes, but it was how I was treated that I kept coming back,” he said. “They’ve been so good to me. The program that they put on is pretty outstanding.”
“Hooked,” a stainless steel fish-bird hybrid, is one of the new sculptures for the 2015-2016 exhibition. Two of his sculptures have been added to the permanent collection through a private donation and winning the jury’s choice award.
He also had works on display in West Des Moines, Urbandale and Ames. However, none of those cities host a live auction at the end of the showcase like Sculpt Siouxland.
The annual celebration gives the 26-year-old an opportunity to meet and greet potential art buyers and get his name out there.
“That’s huge on my part as far as trying to grow my business,” he said. “If people can’t see my work, then they won’t know who I am or what I can do. Ultimately, nobody’s going to buy my stuff.”
Proceeds from ticket sales and commissions help fund additions to the permanent collection and pay artists an honorarium of $1,000 for each accepted sculpture.
The public art program received 31 entries for 2015-2016 and a jury selected 10, bringing a total of 28 sculptures to downtown Sioux City. They are located along Third and Fourth streets, extending roughly from Douglas to Jones. A cluster of sculptures also surrounds the campus of the Sioux City Art Center, at 225 Nebraska St.
“I’m proud of what we started and that we figured out a way to keep it going. Because I think that was a big concern,” said Jacki Kelly, a founding committee member of Sculpt Siouxland. “A lot of times, things like this, they get off the ground and, oh, it’s great idea. And then, it’s hard to keep it going, to keep the interest and find a way to sustain it.”
The first exhibit featured 13 sculptures, and “N'ice Life” by Teresa Maxey was added to the permanent collection after receiving the people’s choice award. According to Journal archives, Sioux City GO had just eight paying members and about 20 others who were active in the summer of 2004 when Sculpt Siouxland was in its planning stages.
Over the past three years, a partnership with the Sioux City Art Center has helped the public art initiative increase the size, quality and visibility of the sculptures.
Curator Todd Behrens oversees many of the administrative duties, including the call for artists, sculpture selection and installation, while Sculpt Siouxland members take care of finding sponsors and planning the annual auction.
While he gets to be a part of adding to the city’s cultural attractions, he sees new spurts of energy coursing through the corridors since his move here from Florida.
“When I came to town and was exploring Sioux City, it was an exciting thing for me to see that there were sculptures around,” he said. “And now, gosh, this last year … it really feels like the pulse is quickening in Sioux City, doesn’t it?”
