This coming Tuesday, two new statues will make their way to Urbana’s Meadowbrook Park, one of the best places for statuary in Champaign-Urbana.
For the full scoop, check out this press release from the Urbana Park District:
“Surge” and “Transformation” on their way to Urbana
Two new sculptures will arrive at the Wandell Sculpture Garden in Urbana’s Meadowbrook Park on Tuesday, August 22. While each Peoria-based artist is bringing their own individual works to Urbana, the two have collaborated on sculpture before, including a bronze figure displayed at Bradley University and statues for the VFW memorial in Chillicothe, Illinois.
“Transformation” by artist Fisher Stolz is made of bronze and stainless steel.
“The sculpture invites you to experience both the exterior and the interior of the sculpture. A passageway invites the viewer inside. The work was originally created for a yearlong exhibition of sculpture in Chicago parks,” Stolz said.
“Surge” by artist Jaci Willis is constructed of stainless steel and glass.
Willis explained, “Surge was conceived thinking about Lake Michigan and its waves. This, in turn, developed the idealism of a relationship and how the closeness ebbs and flows with the environment around it.”
Both artists will join Urbana Park District staff members to install the pieces beginning at 10:00 a.m.
The Wandell Sculpture Garden at Meadowbrook Park was dedicated in June 1999. The garden was named in honor of Celia and Willet Wandell, who owned a local plant nursery and established a trust to give trees to neighboring communities. Celia and Willet’s family saw the Urbana Park District’s plans for a sculpture garden in Urbana as a way to both honor their parents and support art in a natural setting.
A number of the garden’s sculptures are owned by the Urbana Park District as part of the permanent collection. Most of the exhibits are on a two-year loan from the artist and are available for purchase.