Downtown Cary: New Sculptures Coming Soon

Cary, NC — On Friday, July 17, 2015, a brand-new set of outdoor sculptures will be placed along the streets of Downtown Cary for residents to enjoy all year, and you can be part of it.

2015 Outdoor Sculpture Exhibition

Cary Visual Art, or CVA, hosts the Outdoor Sculpture Exhibition (OSE) each year. The program fills the streets of Downtown Cary with outdoor sculptures that residents can enjoy year-long.

This year, on Friday, July 17, 2015, artists, pick-up trucks, CVA staff and volunteers and even cranes will all work together to install the new sculptures along Academy Street.

Last year, as a CVA volunteer, I got an incredible view of a sculpture hanging from a crane in the sky as it was delivered to its new year-long home. The best part? Any and all art-lovers can watch this action or attend the show’s opening reception later that evening.

Watch the Sculpture Installations

I talked to Shawnee Becker, CVA’s Media, Programs & Design Development Coordinator, to find out more about how you can get involved in being one of the first to enjoy the new sculptures.

According to Shawnee, due to the Academy Street streetscape project, 10 sculptures will be placed downtown this year (as opposed to the usual 12). “Eight out of the 10 sculptures will be on and around Town Hall campus, but one will be off Chatham in the Fidelity Bank Lawn, and the other will be at the Cary Arts Center,” she said.

If you’re free on Friday morning, watching the installation of the sculptures is quite a sight–I’ll certainly be there. “People should come early if they want to watch the crane,” Shawnee said. “We only get it for a few hours from 9 am – 12 pm.”

Attend the Reception

On Friday evening, after all the sculptures are installed, artists and art-lovers can attend CVA’s OSE Reception at the Cary Arts Center. The elegant event includes food by Patrick Jane’s Gourmet Pizza, wine by HobNob, beer by New Belgium and the special “best in show” presentation, where the juror will recognize an artist for their sculpture.

Shawnee told me that, this year, CVA will also acknowledge the recipients of their 2015 Young Cary Artists Educational Scholarship. “We will hand out awards and have a display of some of the student artwork,” she said. She further emphasized:

The OSE is important because it brings an exciting change of pace to downtown Cary. When the previous sculptures come down, I always hear people talk about how weird and different downtown Cary seems without them. Many of the sculptures from past shows have gone on to be purchased by the Town of Cary, and a few even stick around as part of our “Sculpture on Loan” program. Public Art is an important part of building a unique community in which to live, work and grow.

CaryCitzen won’t miss this special day and evening, and we hope to see you there.

Event Details

Outdoor Sculpture Exhibition Reception
Friday, July 17, 2015; 6-8:30 pm
Cary Arts Center, 101 Dry Avenue

Purchase tickets online, or enter to win free tickets with a special photo contest.

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Story by Jessica Patrick. Photos from Cary Visual Art on Facebook.

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Downtown coverage is sponsored in part by Studio 180 Salon in Downtown Cary.