10 new sculptures coming to downtown Appleton

Sam Spiczka of Sauk Rapids, Minn, anchors his sculpture “Athena” along College Avenue in Appleton (Photo: Dan Powers USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin)

APPLETON - Ten sculptures created by artists from throughout the country will be arriving this week in downtown Appleton as part of a local arts group initiative.

"This will change the face of downtown," said Alex Schultz, who leads Sculpture Valley, a nonprofit arts advocacy group in the Fox Cities. 

The sculptures are part of a two-year program to add art throughout the Fox Cities. The sculptures will be on display for two years before hopefully being purchased and either placed in the same locations or relocated, Schultz said. All sculptures will be placed on private properties. 

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Next year, 12 more sculptures will be placed throughout the city for another two years. 

"This is the first of what we hope is an annual process and series to revolve our work in the downtown district, and hopefully an opportunity to acquire a piece of our own every year or every other year," said Jennifer Stephany, executive director of Appleton Downtown Inc. "It's a great way to bring in a variety of public art without a big investment."

The sculptures are sponsored by 10 local businesses, including Tundraland and Boldt Construction, at a cost of $5,000 each. The artist receives $3,000 for the sculpture, and the remaining $2,000 is used to support the program and to find more sculptures to keep it going, Schultz said. 

The sculptures will each have a QR bar code to scan as part of a smartphone app called Otocast, which creates a walking tour and guide of public art.

When Sculpture Valley started in 2011, Schultz and others completed an inventory of the public art throughout the city. In addition to recognizing the need for more and new art, they noticed that some memorials had fallen into disrepair or were missing pieces. 

As part of a separate program, the World War I doughboy statue on Memorial Drive was taken to Iowa to get a new bronze recasting this week. Other statues will get similar treatment next year. 

Madeleine Behr: 920-996-7226, or mbehr@postcrescent.com; on Twitter @madeleinebehr