"Welcome” by Greg Summers has been attracting the most attention since the “Sculptures Angola’ installation on Saturday. The piece has been met with mixed reactions from local business owners and the public. The Mayor’s Art Council had chosen to place the sculpture in the southwestern quadrant of downtown so that the heart would frame the Steuben County Soldiers’ Monument. The location has confused some as it read backwards from the street view. Others have struggled to read the word due to the placement of the letters, with the “ME” looking like an “MI” from certain angles. More public interpretations have included dropping the “lco” altogether so the piece reads “WE heart ME.” Photo by Caitlynn Shipe
"Welcome” by Greg Summers has been attracting the most attention since the “Sculptures Angola’ installation on Saturday. The piece has been met with mixed reactions from local business owners and the public. The Mayor’s Art Council had chosen to place the sculpture in the southwestern quadrant of downtown so that the heart would frame the Steuben County Soldiers’ Monument. The location has confused some as it read backwards from the street view. Others have struggled to read the word due to the placement of the letters, with the “ME” looking like an “MI” from certain angles. More public interpretations have included dropping the “lco” altogether so the piece reads “WE heart ME.” Photo by Caitlynn Shipe
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ANGOLA — This past weekend, there were four new art sculptures that were placed in downtown Angola and it is drawing attention.

So far, people seem to like the works, possibly with the exception of the “Welcome” piece that’s undoubtedly one of the largest ever to grace the downtown during the exhibit.

If comments on the city of Angola’s Facebook page are any indication, the “Welcome” piece is not so welcome. At least not in its current configuration.

“No one even knows what it’s supposed say!” commented Michelle Young.

“Why is Angola paying for these new weird sculpture things all over the place?? Couldn’t we spend our money on more useful (or attractive) things? I see this as a waste of taxpayer dollars!!,” Young continued.

Full disclosure: The art is sponsored by private entities and doesn’t cost a dime in tax money.

“At first glance, I thought we were being friendly to our neighbors to the north,” posted Kristin Klopfenstein.

From the right angle, it looks like We (heart) MI.

The four pieces include “Welcome” by Greg Summers, sponsored by Cameron Memorial Community Hospital; “Daphne” by Greg Mendez, sponsored by Links Creative Alliance; “Almost Infinity” by Maureen Gray, sponsored by Univertical LLC and “Sunflower” by IMPACT Institute, sponsored by the Steuben County Tourism Bureau.

And there were others who posted that they looked forward to seeing this year’s installation.

But it is “Welcome,” that has taken a beating. Sorry, Greg.

This has been a tradition since 2019 that is made possible by the Mayor’s Art Council and outside sponsors.

Many find the new sculptures to be eye-catching and a good addition to the downtown center.

Every year, the Angola Mayor's Arts Council commissions new pieces of art to be added downtown with the help of sponsorships from various funds across Angola. But this year’s art came with a few mixed reviews and opinions.

Residents seem to like the artwork, as many of the sculptures are making visitors and residents alike stop to admire the craftsmanship and take photos of the sculptures.

However, one of the pieces has more people confused rather than inspired.

The sculpture that was planned to garner the most attention is the big “Welcome” sign that has the monument in the background.

Many residents agree that when looked at from the front, the sign has a very nice view of the downtown area with the Steuben County Soldiers’ Monument in the background.

That was the intent of Summers, that people would gather in front of the “Welcome” and have their photos taken with the Monument in the background.

But when looked at from the perspective of the road or the Monument, it can become much less appealing, some say.

The welcome sign is tucked into the south west quadrant of the downtown area where there are more corporate businesses rather than local retail shops or restaurants. It is blocked from view from the constant traffic flow around the Monument and it can actually be quite difficult to find, let alone get a good photo of.

With the sign being tucked into a corner, not many stop to get pictures with it.

Many rather go to the “Sunflower,” which has a much more open background and puts two local businesses on display. There are also a lot of travelers who pass through downtown on their way south and if they were to look at the sign from the road, it is backwards.

After speaking with some of the local businesses in the four corners of downtown, they all seemed to be in agreement about the “Welcome” sign; It’s backwards.

Its current placement doesn’t strike residents as welcoming. It’s difficult to see from the road and it only makes for a good photo if it is taken at the right angle. As a result, it doesn’t get the same amount of attention as the Sunflower does on the opposite end of four corners.

As Mitch Davis, owner or Mitchell’s, described the sign as “It’s a very unwelcoming ‘Welcome’ sign.”

Even if someone were to get close and stand at the right angle for a photo, there is still a tree that somewhat blocks the camera from taking photos from farther away. This could create issues for group photos around the sign as well as just trying to take a simple photo from a distance.

But that doesn’t mean that the art is a bad addition. People still stop to take photos of the art with their family or their kids.

This extra foot traffic also gives more opportunities to the local businesses around them. Joe Hysong, owner of “Bike and Soul” said that “The art is working, they make people stop and get out of their cars …”

Overall, the artwork is attention grabbing, and mostly, puts on a good display. It is increasing foot traffic in the downtown area, which could possibly help the local businesses.
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