An elephant is the people’s choice. According to Salina Arts and Humanities, the 2016 People’s Choice in the Salina Sculpture Tour program is ‘”Slim” by Dale Lewis of Hastings,Minnesota.
The work will be placed in an elevated planter at the south entrance to the Salina Bicentennial Center.

“Slim” is the sixth People’s Choice selected by the public and purchased by the City of Salina.

Slim is a life sized elephant made by wrapping strips of grey painted steel around a steel rod armature. The strips are cut from salvaged equipment door panels. He has Direct TV satellite dishes for ears and Harley mufflers for tusks. All of this makes him a bit of a “Junkaphant”.

Previous People’s Choice Award winners include:

• 2011 – “Watch Dog” by Louise Peterson; On display in Oakdale Park Sculpture Garden
• 2012 – “Sweet Kisses” by Marianne Caroselli; On display in Oakdale Park Sculpture Garden
• 2013 – “Farmer” by Lawrence Starck; On display in Campbell Plaza, Downtown
• 2014 – “Next Up” by James Haire; To go on display at the Oakdale Park Tennis Courts
• 2015 – ““Daughters of Peace” by Benjamin Victor; on display inside the Salina City / County Building

Other than purchasing the People’s Choice winner, Sculpture Tour Salina is entirely privately funded. Multiple sculptures are temporarily displayed in the downtown area for a year. Each sculpture is for sale, with the City of Salina purchasing the People’s Choice winner for permanent display.

The current sculptures on the tour will soon be coming down, to make way for new ones. New Sculptures have been selected for 2017, and will unveiled in May.