Local artist Amy DeLap sits on a new art installation erected on Riverwalk in Vincennes on Wednesday afternoon. Titled 'Truth Inside.' the word 'truth,' is spelled out in the shadow it creates. The piece was down by Oregon artist MacRae Wylde. Contributed photo
This sculpture 'Ronin' by northern Michigan artist Brian Ferriby was erected this week in downtown Vincennes. Staff photo by Jenny McNeece
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Public art abounds near downtown Vincennes as the First City Public Sculpture Exhibition nears completion.
This week saw the installation of three new sculptures as part of an exhibit that will — once complete next week — include seven large-scale works of art.
A year ago, the Northwest Territory Art Guild, located at 316 Main St., selected Amy DeLap and Andrew Jendrzejewski — both retired Vincennes University art professors and the owners of Art Space Vincennes LLC — to lead the First City Public Sculpture Exhibition.
Thanks, in part, to both a grant from the Indiana Arts Council and a financial gift from the Vincennes City Council, DeLap and Jendrzejewski were able to put out a national call to artists for large sculpted works to be installed at sites around the city.
The exhibition was originally slated for completion in October, but Jendrzejewski says difficulty obtaining a contractor to build the concrete foundations that support each sculpture pushed the project beyond its initial deadline.
“Thankfully the city stepped in and helped us secure a contractor, otherwise we would have been waiting until February,” he said.
On Monday, two more of the exhibit’s sculptures were installed — one titled “Uprising” was erected at the north end of the city’s Riverwalk and another, one titled “Ronin” by Northern Michigan artist Brian Ferriby, is now on proud display near 223 Main St., just outside of Eyeworks.
Wednesday afternoon, Jendrzejewski could be seen high atop a ladder on the Riverwalk putting the finishing touches on the totemic-looking “Uprising,” shipped in from Colorado Springs, Colorado.
The fittingly titled “Uprising,” created by Colorado artist Sandy Friedman, reaches some 20 feet in the air. Its very shape, clean lines and shade of rusted metal is reminiscent of a thunder bird or other creature of mythic proportions, and its natural elements keep it closely linked to the neighboring sculpture of Tecumseh.
Also arriving to the Riverwalk Wednesday afternoon was a fifth installation, this one called “Truth Inside,” a 600-pound sculpture from Oregon artist MacRae Wylde.
The artist uses negative space to convey the letters of the word “truth,” and asks the viewer to consider how the meaning of the word is communicated through both verbal language as well as the image itself and the reliance on both positive and negative space.
And on Tuesday, the couple said they oversaw the pouring of two concrete bases that will support the remaining two sculptures, which could be installed across from Clark’s Crossing on Sixth Street as early as this week.
“It’s been crazy,” Jendrzejewski said with a laugh. “Once the cement cures for the remaining two, I should be able to get both sculptures installed in one day.”
Upon the exhibit’s completion, area residents and visitors will find three large sculptures near Clark’s Crossing, three on the Riverwalk and one on Main Street.
The seven sculptures were acquired from artists across the U.S. who submitted proposals in response to the national call from the local art guild.
DeLap and Jendrzejewski say amid COVID-19 closures, local galleries have been striving to find alternative ways to engage the community in the arts, and the First City Public Sculpture Exhibition fills that need perfectly.
“I know people have been pining for the First Friday Art Walk, but we have to continue to be disciplined and not gather in the galleries to protect everyone,” said Jendrzejewski. “This is a nice alternative.”
So far, the couple say they’ve received only positive feedback from community members.
“There have been a lot of nice comments on Facebook, and a member of the city council recently recognized it during their meeting,” Jendrzejewski said. “We’re really pleased that the public is responding in a positive way.”
Each installed sculpture will be on loan from the artist for a three-year period but with an option for a business or individual to buy the artwork and therefore have it permanently installed in Vincennes.
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