April 18th, 2022
Sculptures to be Removed to Make Way for 2022-23 Tour
MANKATO, MN — On Saturday, April 23 the sculptures currently on exhibit as a part of the Tenth Anniversary CityArt Walking Sculpture Tour will be removed by a group of community volunteers, to prepare the locations and bases for installation of CityArt’s 2022 exhibition. On Saturday, May 21 the 2022-23 tour, which includes thirty-one new sculptures, will be installed in the City Centers of Mankato and North Mankato.
The 2021-22 Tenth Anniversary Walking Sculpture Tour has proved to be one of the most highly rated exhibitions in the program’s history. Each year, CityArt conducts a satisfaction survey via the online People’s Choice Award voting platform, and this year’s results were outstanding with 92% of respondents rating this year’s tour as Excellent and 7% as Good. The tour continues to be enjoyed by community members and visitors alike with survey respondents coming from 40 different states, 260 zip codes and 8 countries. 68% percent of survey participants traveled to Greater Mankato from more than 75 miles away, indicating the Walking Sculpture Tour continues to be a popular visitor and tourist attraction.
“After ten years of exhibitions, it is extremely gratifying to see the continual growth and popularity of the Walking Sculpture Tour,” said CityArt program co-founder and current Chairperson, Tami Paulsen. “Each year our program earns more accolades and notoriety for excellence, attracting a greater number of highly talented sculptors from throughout the country. These sculptors represent many diverse styles, mediums, and materials and create pieces that add vibrancy and vitality our City Center.”
Since the sculpture walk’s inception in 2011, the average investment in the City Center increased by 414%, further illustrating the impact the arts has on economic development.
“Making investments in the arts has had a substantial positive impact on our community,” said Greater Mankato Growth Economic Development & Research Manager, Ryan Vesey. “As programs like the Walking Sculpture Tour have brought people to the City Center, developers have responded to the increased traffic by investing in the area. These investments create a snowball effect, which is resulting in the pace of investment that we are seeing today.”
After a decade as one of the region’s top-rated attractions, CityArt looks forward to continue sharing public art with the community for years to come.
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About CityArt Walking Sculpture Tour
The CityArt Walking Sculpture Tour is an exciting exhibit of outdoor sculptures displayed year-round in the City Centers of Mankato and North Mankato. Local, regional and national artists submit their sculptures to CityArt in the fall and selected sculptures are installed and exhibited in the program for one year. During that time, the sculptures are eligible for various artistic awards and prizes and are also promoted to the public for sale or lease. CityArt is a joint program of the City Center Partnership and Twin Rivers Council for the Arts dedicated to bringing public art to the community. CityArt initiatives include the Walking Sculpture Tour, CityArt On the Go, the Mankato Flood Wall Mural, the City Center Public Art Tour, and the Silo Art Project. For additional information, visit cityartmankato.com.
About City Center Partnership City Center Partnership
a downtown development organization, is a business unit of Greater Mankato Growth, Inc. (GMG) which includes the chamber of commerce and economic development organization, Greater Mankato Growth, the local convention and visitor’s bureau, Visit Mankato and GreenSeam, which utilizes agriculture to build on the region’s extensive agribusiness assets to develop ag economy.
About Twin Rivers Council for the Arts
Twin Rivers Council for the Arts is a collaborative alliance of local arts and cultural organizations, individual artists, and community members who share a vision for the arts in Greater Mankato. Twin Rivers Council for the Arts serves as a unifying voice, advocating for and connecting arts groups to the community by providing services and shared resources to affiliate members throughout southern Minnesota.