Ninth annual Broadway sculpture exhibition kicks off Thursday

The Public Art Committee of the City of Cape Girardeau will launch the city’s ninth public art outdoor sculpture exhibition Thursday.

The show will consist of seven pieces along the Broadway corridor for one year, culminating in early April 2022.

By hosting the exhibit on Broadway, the Committee hopes to achieve two primary goals: increase the number of arts-related activities within the region and provide an additional revitalization strategy for Old Town Cape Inc, according to a news release from the Arts Council of Southeast Missouri.

The seven artists selected for the exhibition are:

• Noah Kirby of St. Louis
• Deanna Hoffman of Cape Girardeau
• Bryce Robinson of St. Louis
• Nathan Pierce of Cape Girardeau
• Brigit Ciskowski of St. Louis
• Daniel Perry of Waterloo, Iowa
• Nick Hurst of Cape Girardeau.

The pieces will be unveiled at a special reception and kick-off event at 5:30 p.m. today at Vasterling Suites Courtyard, on the southwest corner of the intersection of Broadway and Fountain Street, the release stated. The reception will be open to the public, after which participants are encouraged to walk Broadway and view the pieces. Masks are required.

Funding for the exhibit was provided by the City of Cape Girardeau Parks and Recreation Department, National Endowment for the Arts and Old Town Cape Inc., according to the release.

Andrew Arvanetes juried the 2021 Cape Girardeau Outdoor Sculpture Exhibit, with input from the Public Art Committee; a group consisting of representatives from the Arts Council of Southeast Missouri; Old Town Cape Inc.; City of Cape Girardeau; Chris Wubbena, area head of sculpture at Southeast Missouri State University; and Justin H. Miller, painting professor at Southeast, the release stated.

Arvanetes received his BFA and MFA from Northern Illinois University. He has been producing sculpture professionally since 1987. Working in aluminum, stainless steel, bronze, mild steel and wood, Arvanetes has fabricated large outdoor sculptures, gallery-size work, as well as low-relief wall constructions, according to the release. He has exhibited his work throughout the United States, participating in exhibitions, competitions and public art projects.

For more information about the Public Art Committee or the Cape Girardeau Outdoor Sculpture Exhibition on Broadway, contact the Arts Council at (573) 334-9233 or visit its website at www.capearts.org.

Future information may also be found at www.facebook.com/CapeSculpture.