Category: News

Amid red rocks and blue sage, an amazing transformation has been unfolding in southern Utah that highlights the power of visual art.  Today the city of St. George, Utah hosts one of the West’s most dynamic outdoor sculpture exhibits, known as Art Around the Corner. “It’s the shared vision that makes this work,” says Susan Jarvis, current Chair of the Art Around the Corner Foundation. “The outdoor show involves civic leaders, business owners, patrons, citizens, dedicated volunteers and of course artists, collaborating to uplift our community.”

St. George lies in the southwest corner of Utah, an area known for outdoor recreation and fantastic scenery, within easy driving distance to three national parks, Zion, Bryce and the Grand Canyon.   And now, thanks largely to Art Around the Corner (AAC), the city has a growing reputation for publicly-displayed sculpture and a bubbling art scene.

AAC’s first sculpture exhibit was held in 2004, and the show has steadily grown since.  Entries are jury-selected and each April around 20 pieces from well-known sculptors are chosen for installation, primarily along Main Street and in the historic Town Square.  

Larger works are mounted in the center of traffic circles while others line pedestrian areas.  By agreement with participating artists, sculptures remain in place throughout the year for everyone’s enjoyment. During those 12 months, businesses, institutions and individual collectors can purchase pieces.  Part of the proceeds are retained by AAC, a registered non-profit organization.

When an exhibit closes, buyers can move their chosen sculpture to an office building, home or selected location.  But many choose to keep it on permanent display in the downtown area, enabling St. George’s collection to grow to over 40 pieces.  “It’s been really effective,” says Shawn Guzman, City Attorney and member of the AAC board. “Essentially, we’ve created an open-air gallery that helps artists sell their work, and benefits sponsors and buyers, the city, and of course our residents.  It’s been a great catalyst in so many ways.”

City leaders have seen how public art improves the sense of community, instills a sense of pride and ownership, and raises property values as well as people’s spirits.  “It has clearly played a key role in revitalizing our historic downtown.” says St. George Mayor, John Pike. “Visitors and locals enjoy the growing collection, and we’ve created vibrant spaces around the pieces.  There’s also a definite ripple effect. Art Around the Corner fosters a frame of mind that I believe has had substantial positive effects in our local economy and civic life.”

City Councilwoman Bette Arial has similar sentiments. “You know, I love the sculptures in our downtown, but they’re much more than art for art’s sake.  We see real positive impact on the city’s economy. These artworks bring people, foot traffic and economic activity. It’s a material investment in our city.”

This year’s exhibit includes an engaging cross-section of works, representing various genres and artists from several states.  There’s a dramatic car-and-driver piece by internationally-known automotive sculptor Stan Wanlass, a life-sized George Washington by Gary Price, and a huge, imposing bison made from recycled metal by Tim Little.  There are entries from Colorado, Washington and Texas, though most are from Utah sculptors. Other artists on display are Doug Adams, Matt Clark, Chris Coleman, Karen Crain, Mont Crossland, Annette Everett, Deveren Farley, Dan Hill, Ben Hammond, Franz Johansen and his son Nate Johansen, Jack Morford, Scott Rogers, Patrick Sullivan, Dan Toone, Josh Toone, and L’Deane Trueblood.  

So, if you find yourself travelling between Salt Lake City and Las Vegas, pull into St. George and enjoy one of the region’s best outdoor sculpture exhibits.

Cindy Trueblood

Look closely at one of Patrick Sullivan’s intricate works of carved stone, and you can start to sense movement and warmth emanating from within the rock. Observers often describe the “flow” inherent in his sculptures.  Originally from Vancouver, Canada, and now a dual-citizen living in Pine Valley, Utah, Sullivan talks openly about the living nature of the stone he loves to work with. “You have to get a feel for each one”, he says, “especially the big ones. There has to be an intimate connection between the stone and my own consciousness, my spirit, for the piece to really come alive.”

Sullivan prefers to do much of his work with hammer and chisel, just as sculptors have done for centuries. “I love to work directly with the stone to capture the essence of feeling from the moment of creation.” But electric or pneumatic tools have their place as well, particularly when working in the harder materials that he prefers, such as granite, basalt and marble.  For several of his public art projects, Sullivan has set up his workbench outdoors, in full public view.  “That’s a really engaging way to sculpt,” he says. “People get involved and feel like they’re a part of it.  It’s not just something that was dropped in. They’re a part of the creative process.”

One of Patrick Sullivan’s pieces, “O’Keeffe 5”, was jury selected for St. George’s 2015 Art Around the Corner Outdoor Sculpture Exhibit, and is currently on display in front of the Main Street Plaza between the Boulevard and Tabernacle.  The sculpture is part of a series honoring the great American artist, Georgia O’Keeffe.  Carved from white, Carrara marble, the smooth, evocative shapes form an excellent example of Sullivan’s trademark style, his own blending of abstract and representational styles which he terms “lyrical symbolism”.    

Sullivan has been commissioned to create large pieces for multiple communities, with over 20 public art projects installed in the United States, Canada and Germany.  Tulsa, Oklahoma selected his 10-foot, 10-ton sculpture in Indiana limestone, “Last Love 7” for display in Guthrie Green Park. The 8-ton piece “Motion” is permanently installed at the Centennial Hills Transit Center in Las Vegas.  And Vandalia, Ohio chose his 6-ton “Vandalia Chiseled” for public display.  The artist carved each of these on-site, allowing people to watch as he worked.  “I see public art as a healing thing,” says Sullivan. “As I’m creating, I do think about people and how they will interact with my work.”

For the 2015 Outdoor Sculpture Exhibit, “O’Keeffe 5” is sponsored by the Utah Division of Arts and Museums.  As with many of the pieces in the exhibit, this beautifully carved stone sculpture can be purchased, or leased-to-own by interested organizations or individuals.  Art Around the Corner is a non-profit foundation, dedicated to enhancing the community and elevating quality of life through public works of art.  All purchases from the foundation are tax deductible.  For those interested in Patrick Sullivan’s work, or in supporting Art Around the Corner, see www.artaroundthecorner.org.

Cindy Trueblood
Art Around the Corner
Director of Sales and Community Relations
www.artaroundthecorner.org

Price’s “George Washington” part of sculpture display

No collection of works from western American sculptors would be complete without a representative piece by Gary Lee Price, from Mapleton, Utah.  Over the past 35 years, he has earned a reputation as one of this country’s most prolific and influential figurative sculptors, with hundreds of pieces in private collections and public installations all across the U.S. and internationally.  He is a member of the prestigious National Sculpture Society, and in 2014 was elected to “Fellow” status.

Fortunately, St. George is graced by several of Price’s bronze sculptures, acquired through the efforts of Art Around the Corner and the annual Outdoor Sculpture Exhibit.  “Flight Time” is prominently displayed at the northeast corner of the Tabernacle, and the whimsical duo, “Puffed Up Prince” and Puffed Up Princess” are kids favorites overlooking the Town Square water feature.  And the lobby of St. George Airport boasts a four-foot high Price bronze, entitled “Wings”.

We’ve included another Gary Lee Price piece in this year’s exhibit, with a more pensive and patriotic theme.  Directly across Main Street from the Tabernacle, “George Washington” depicts the father of our nation seated on a park bench with sheathed sword, poised to rise again if called upon.  The bronze bench has an inviting space open for viewers to sit next to the great man and reflect on all that he stood for. This piece is part of Price’s “great contributors” series, which honors luminaries such as Abraham Lincoln, Ben Franklin, Albert Einstein and the Wright brothers.  

Price’s long passion for sculpture began when he worked for another artist.  As he relates, it was a transformative experience: “I literally slept in the studio for nine months, with a foam pad and a Coleman sleeping bag.  I’d work all day long, I’d weld, I’d grind, I’d do his patinas. Then at night I’d work with clay and create my own pieces. And this was like magic to me.  Instead of creating a 2D illusion, I was actually creating the object itself in three dimensions. It was beautiful. It resonated so deeply within my soul that sculpting has been my pursuit, my entire life, ever since.”

Staying true to his declared mission of “Lifting the human spirit through sculpture”, he is involved an ambitious project that may well define his legacy.  Through collaboration with the late Stephen R. Covey, the family Victor Frankl (famous author and holocaust survivor), and a national non-profit organization, Price was selected to create what is planned to become the 300-foot “Statue of Responsibility”, to be the west-coast compliment to the Statue of Liberty.  You can see a smaller-scale version of the piece on the campus of Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah.

Art Around the Corner is a non-profit foundation working to enhance downtown St. George with captivating outdoor art.  The Outdoor Sculpture Exhibit is the foundation’s flagship project, which each year selects around two dozen sculptures for an temporary installation.  Organizations and individuals can buy pieces for public or private installation. The foundation retains a portion of the proceeds, which in turn funds expansion of the city’s permanent sculpture collection.  

Cindy Trueblood
Director of Sales & Community Relations
www.artaroundthecorner.org