Show Preview | Sculpture in the Park - Southwest Art Magazine

Loveland, CO
Benson Sculpture Garden, August 11-13

Don Rambadt, Fall Colors, bronze/stainless steel/gold leaf, 33 x 32 x 12.

This story was featured in the July 2017 issue of Southwest Art magazine. Get the Southwest Art July 2017 print issue or digital download now–then subscribe to Southwest Art and never miss another story.

The annual outdoor, juried sculpture show and sale, Sculpture in the Park, celebrates its 34th year in Loveland, CO, next month. The weekend-long event begins on Friday, August 11, with a private patron party from 3 to 8 p.m. Then it opens to the public on Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. and on Sunday from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

This year’s show features over 2,000 sculptures by 160 international artists. Kristi Elyce, executive director of the Loveland High Plains Arts Council, says that organizers invited 26 new artists this year in order to keep the annual rotation of sculptors different and exciting. The show has everything from bronze, metal, and wood sculptures to stone, ceramic, and glass pieces on display, ranging in price from a few hundred dollars to upwards of $100,000. “What’s really part of the appeal is the wide variety of artists, mediums, and price points,” Elyce says. “We keep the show fresh every year to entice all kinds of artists and collectors.”

: Laurel Peterson Gregory, Rambunction, bronze, 17 x 8 x 5.

: J. Christopher White, Majesty on High, bronze/wood, h14.

: Paddi Moyer, Awakening, stone, 17 x 19 x 10.

A few of the freshman artists include wood sculptors Harold G. Adams and Mark Doolittle, stone artists Randy Warren and Susan A. Judy, and Karl Deen Sanders, a California-based sculptor specializing in bronze. Returning artists include Jeannine Young, Kim Kori, Jane DeDecker, and George Walbye, a founder and 34-year participant in the show.

J. Christopher White is a Loveland-based artist who has been a professional sculptor since 1978 and has participated in the show for the past 25 years. His artwork features dense juniper wood and some mesquite wood melded with bronze, as seen in his piece MAJESTY ON HIGH. “I get the idea of what I want to sculpt, then I find the tree that fits my idea,” White says. He is bringing about 15 one-of-a-kind sculptures to the show in August.

Paddi Moyer has been a professional sculptor specializing in Native American art for about 30 years and has attended this show for almost as long. Moyer is bringing nine one-of-a-kind sculptures and is donating a small piece for the show’s silent auction, too. “Faces have always been the driving force behind my inspirations,” Moyer says, as seen in her work AWAKENING.

: George Walbye, Sun Spirit, TK, TK x TK.

: Carolyn Barlock, Queen’s Garden, porcelain, 22 x 10.

: Daniel Glanz, American Treasure, TK, TK x TK.

Proceeds from the sale go toward Benson Sculpture Garden, a unique 10-acre outdoor setting for showcasing sculptures from internationally renowned artists since 1985. There are currently 154 sculptures collectively worth over $4 million on permanent display in the park. Proceeds from last year’s event allowed the arts council to install four new sculptures in the expansive, grassy park this summer.

But, according to Moyer, the show is about much more than just displaying art. “This show gives me an opportunity to meet people from all over the country,” she says. “I also love reconnecting with the other sculptors I’ve gotten to know over the years.” —Katie Askew

contact information
970.663.2940
www.sculptureinthepark.org