Students, residents and business owners are no longer the only ones standing around downtown Gainesville.
Six sculptures have been recently installed outside of local stores as part of a new community initiative.
The sculptures are on loan and will remain in Gainesville for two years, said Nava Ottenberg, who owns Persona Vintage Clothing & Costumes.
A public art event was held Tuesday to reveal the sculptures to the public. City commissioners and more than 50 community members attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony and walking tour.
“This is a community project,” said activist Mary Rockwood Lane. “People wanted to see something interesting happen in their community, and everyone got together and made it happen.”
A rooster sculpture now stands in front of the downtown Starbucks. It was sculpted by Peruvian artist Victor Delfín in 1960. Delfín also created a stag sculpture, which was placed in front of Persona Vintage Clothing & Costumes.
The stag and rooster were loaned by Euphrosyne Parker, who allowed pieces to be borrowed from her late husband’s art collection.
In addition, two sculptures by David Bell, titled “Love Palm” and “Starburst,” stand in between Dragonfly and Mark’s Prime Steakhouse.
Ottenberg said the project was about integrating art and culture into downtown urban spaces.
“The whole idea was to bring public art into the heart of downtown Gainesville,” she said.
Ottenberg, along with Rockwood Lane, were part of a group that spearheaded the effort to exhibit the sculptures.
Rockwood Lane said they demonstrate the American modern genre.
“Most of it is very abstract and modern,” she said. “The sculptures go together beautifully.”
A statue of a metal stag sits outside Persona Vintage Clothing & Costumes on Southeast Second Place. The statue is one of many from the private collection of Alfred Browning Parker. The works debuted Tuesday.
