New sculptures unveiled along Broadway in downtown Cape

James Johnson, the artist who adjudicated this year’s Cape Girardeau Outdoor Sculpture Exhibit, said the thread he found most compelling about each of the pieces that now line Broadway is how they approach the idea of communication.

The piece that provided the backdrop for the Arts Council of Southeast Missouri’s unveiling ceremony Friday evening was “Hesitant” by Cape Girardeau sculptor Ben Pierce, who said his piece was designed to help people slow down and engage, to communicate with their environments.

“Each one of these artists had experiences in their lives that really came through in their artwork,” Johnson said.

One of Pierce’s inspiring experiences is all too common — namely being surrounded by cellphone-weilding automatons.

“You’ll be at a restaurant or something and realize everyone’s just looking straight down at their screens or whatever,” Pierce said. “I wanted to have a sculpture that would overall capture your attention, but when you looked at it, you might see something in your natural environment that would already be there.”

Pierce’s piece, like a good deal of his other work, uses simplicity to subconsciously engage passersby, regardless of whether they realize.

Two angular metal beams draw the eye into a circle of turquoise through which, Pierce explained, you see what’s there.

Whether it’s the Marquette building, as the piece faces now, or a dog-walker on the sidewalk, it’s meant to offer an invitation to presence and clarity; a break from one’s screen.

“And every time I see someone taking pictures of it, they use the oculus,” Pierce said, smiling. “It’s what I wanted. It’s beautiful. I love that.”

Southeast Missouri State University professor of sculpture Chris Wubbena said community engagement such as that was the impetus for starting the whole exhibit three years ago.

“I never realized how many people it takes to really appreciate art,” he said. “It really takes a community ... to share your lives and your space with the artwork.”

Mayor Harry Rediger said it remains a goal of his to build for Cape Girardeau a reputation as a “Sculpture City.”

“We’re standing on a corner where five years ago there were four empty buildings,” he said of the corner of Broadway and Fountain Street.

But now, there’s art, a beautifully renovated apartment building in the Vasterling Suites and commerce in the old Federal Building. Soon, there also will be a hotel in the Marquette building.

The city of Cape Girardeau has been supportive of the Arts Council’s project in more ways than one. The city provided $5,000 for the program, a donation matched by the National Endowment for the Arts. Old Town Cape also provided $1,000.

“[The Parks Department] also contributes a lot assisting us in the installments,” Arts Council executive director Murielle Gaither said.

Those crews are consistently described by visiting artists as “absolutely excellent,” as Johnson said.

“They are very professional, and it was an absolute pleasure working with them,” he said.

tgraef@semissourian.com

(573)388-3627

Pertinent address:

Broadway and Fountain Street, Cape Girardeau, Mo.