The votes have been counted, and “Farmer” is Salina’s favorite.
“Farmer”, by Colorado artist Lawrence Starck is the 2013 Salina Sculpture Tour People’s Choice Award winner. The statue, located in the 100 Block of North Santa Fe, depicts a farmer leaning on a shovel, with his trusty dog by his side.
“Farmer” was selected by popular vote from among the 22 pieces in the 2013 exhibition in Salina’s downtown Lee District. The third place finisher was “Lucky Duck” and the second place winner was “First Kiss”. About a dozen votes separated the the three, form nearly 1,000 that were cast.
A common theme in the People’s Choice Award, which started along with the sculpture tour in 2011, is dogs. “Sweet Kisses”, a statue of a little girl with two puppies was the 2012 winner and “Watch Dog”, a hound dog laying down, was the 2011 winner. Both are on display in Oakdale Park.
The City of Salina will now purchase “Farmer”, for a price not to exceed $15,000. It will then be displayed at an appropriate location where it can be enjoyed. It will be displayed in Campbell Plaza in Downtown Salina.
Along with the purchases by the city, ten other sculptures that were on display as part of Salina Sculpture Tour have been purchased privately over the past two years. A couple of this year’s sculptures have already been purchased as well.
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. Sculptures have been selected for 2014, and will unveiled in May. Twenty-six sculptures, including an international piece, will be displayed.
