Old Town’s sculptures could soon disappear. Here’s what it would take to save them
Some of the 15 outdoor sculptures that dot Old Town are made of iron and blown glass. Others are clay or steel wire. Some are representational — a human figure, a heart — and others are abstract.
They all have one thing in common, though. They could soon be gone.
Citing a lack of private funding, the Wichita Arts Council has decided to end its Sculpture WalkAbout exhibition.
The Eagle has obtained an email from Jana Erwin, the city’s public arts manager, telling artists on July 28 that they have until Sept. 1 to deinstall their sculptures.
Since 2008, the Sculpture WalkAbout has showcased work by local and regional artists, who participate in a juried competition and earn a small stipend from the Arts Council, whether or not sculptures get purchased by collectors.
“It’s been wonderful being a part of that,” said Conrad Snider, a Newton-based sculptor who has two pieces displayed in Old Town that he plans to pick up in the next few weeks.
“There’s quite a bit of public art in Wichita. What was unique about this is that it rotated and it gave other artists an opportunity to have things out on display.”
He said he’ll be sorry to see the program go.
The council receives roughly $7,000 annually from the city and $15,000 from Sedgwick County for its mission of promoting arts and culture in the community. But the nonprofit has relied on private donations to pay artists for displaying their work. Those private funds have dried up in recent years, Arts Council Vice President Matthew Broderick said.
“There was support at the beginning of this project 13, 14 years ago where they just built up a good set of funds to continue the mission of putting artists’ work on display,” he said.
“We really felt like artists should get paid a fair amount and we just didn’t have the resources as we hoped strategically to continue to support that.”
Broderick said if anyone in the community is still interested in sponsoring the program, the Arts Council would continue to work with artists who have sculptures on the pedestals to try and keep them there.
Artists have historically received a $750 stipend from the Arts Council for the year-long display and a smaller amount if the contract is renewed.
“That $750 is a pretty minimal amount,” Snider said. “There aren’t any artists getting rich or even making a living off of $750 a year. It kind of covers your expenses and that’s about it.”
Council President Malissa Long said that stipend isn’t competitive with what other nearby cities offer and barely covers the cost of insurance that artists have to carry on their sculptures.
“It would be nice if we could offer $1,000 per year per sculpture and the ability to leave them up longer so we could compete with Topeka or Salina,” Long said.
“As someone who works in Old Town, I am sad to see the sculptures go,” said Diane Sorensen, a lawyer who works with the firm Morris Laing Evans Brock & Kennedy. “They have been something that makes the area unique and beautiful, and I have loved that the city was supportive of the arts.”
Snider, who has permanent pieces on display at the Advanced Learning Library, the Evergreen Library and Nomar Plaza, said he hopes to see the Old Town sculpture exhibition revived in some way.
“The pedestals that these things were on are permanent, so I don’t know if they’re going to remove those or if something else will go on there,” Snider said.
In lieu of new donors, city spokesperson Megan Lovely said Wichita’s arts and culture division is stepping in to figure out what comes next for the Old Town pedestals that have held sculptures for the last 15 years.
“We’re working on that arts incubator program for future activation but that will take time — we don’t have immediate plans for the pedestals,” Lovely said in an email.
Broderick said the city and Arts Council could also partner with Wichita Public Schools in the future to showcase work created by high school students.
This story was originally published August 13, 2023 at 5:33 AM.