Sixth edition of Broadway sculptures unveiled

Broadway's public art scene was refreshed as the 2019 Cape Girardeau Outdoor Sculpture Exhibit had its opening reception Thursday in downtown Cape Girardeau with a couple of the artists on hand.

The sculptures are located within nine blocks of each other along Broadway, replacing the 2018 pieces.

The sixth-sculpture exhibition was juried by Stephanie Sailer, with input from the Public Art Committee, which consists of representatives from the Arts Council of Southeast Missouri, Old Town Cape Inc., City of Cape Girardeau, Southeast Missouri State University professor of sculpture Chris Wubbena and Southeast professor of painting and exhibitions coordinator Justin Henry Miller.

Arts Council of Southeast Missouri director Sara Steffens opened the event by noting how public art provides an opportunity for people to engage in conversation, adding Cape Girardeau "has gained value through public art displays."

She then introduced Sailer, who's had her own pieces represented in the exhibit before becoming a juror. Sailer's message wasn't far off from Steffens'.

"What I love about public art is that it takes the art outside of the gallery, where only a small percentage of people would actually be able to see it, and puts it outside where everyone can," Sailer said. "And perhaps in your day, you may not be paying attention to anything else outside of where you're walking until that moment in which you see a piece, and hopefully it can make you think about something or make you question."

A few of the artists attended the unveiling, including Andrew Arvanetes, whose aluminum piece "Mobile Home" is located on the southwest corner of Pacific Street and Broadway. Arvanetes said he's now had more work featured in the Outdoor Sculpture Exhibit than any other artist, noting Sailer previously held the record.

"Mind Started Rambling" is located on the southwest corner of Frederick Street and Broadway, and was created by Dylan Collins, who taught at Southeast Missouri State University in the Art Department.

Collins said Wubbena had encouraged him to enter the competition for quite some time, and this year he finally did, adding he was "thrilled to be accepted."

On the Outdoor Sculpture Exhibit as a whole, Collins said, "I think this is super innovative to have it on the street. Sometimes sculpture tours are really far out in a park or some kind of green space. But seeing it kind of interweave with the urban fabric is really fantastic."

His piece is based on an institutional school desk, he said, but then turns to more "tendrils and ribbons forged out of this architectural material." Collins said part of the inspiration for his piece came from the experience of daydreaming during a lecture -- an experience, he said, everyone can relate to.

"For me, it was kind of a meditation on being a teacher," Collins said. "You want people to think freely, but you also want them to follow what you say. So that fine line between indoctrination and free thinking."

Wubbena has been involved with the Outdoor Sculpture Exhibit since it began, both as an artist and a juror, and he echoed Sailer's remarks.

"[Public art] is not something you have to go to a gallery to see -- it's something that you just see in your everyday life," Wubbena said. "It's also about [students'] connections with the world in general. So this is not just a connection with other artists, it's a connection with other people and humanity."

He noted the people in attendance were not all artists -- they were all art-minded individuals.

"We all want a beautiful community," Wubbena said. "We all want to live together harmoniously, and how we share our space together is really important, and art does that."

For more information regarding the sculptures, the juror or the artists, visit capearts.org.