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Source: American News, Aberdeen, S.自存倉D.Sept. 27--As you've walked around downtown Aberdeen, chances are you've never really noticed them. Eight short structures, made of brick and cement, are scattered around the downtown area. If you've thought about them at all, you might figure they're just a convenient place to take a seat.In reality, they're pedestals. By the end of next summer, objects will be placed on each of them that will seriously transform the look of downtown Aberdeen.Each pedestal will hold a piece of art. All eight sculptures will be on display next year, comprising the Art on Main sculpture walk.The project begins Friday with the unveiling of a sculpture at 5:30 p.m. atop a pedestal at the corner of South Main Street and First Avenue Southeast, directly across the street from the Ward Plaza.The sculpture walk is a venture of the Aberdeen Downtown Association and the Aberdeen Area Arts Council. The sculptures will be pieces of art, rather than busts of prominent Aberdonians. The Art on Main sculpture walk has no connection to the bust of the late Vi Stoia that stands at the intersection of South Main Street and Third Avenue South.Heidi Appel of the Aberdeen Downtown Association says the addition of "beautiful art" will enhance the downtown's aesthetic appeal. When the sculpture walk is done, "downtown will be a place to look at, not just come and shop or to eat."Friday's event is the first step in the sculpture walk. An anonymous donor has paid for the leasing of the sculpture. Appel would not say who created the piece.The work being unveiled today will be replaced by another sculpture next summer. This first piece is just to give the public an idea of what type of sculpture will be downtown. It will be "a visual symbol of what we're doing and why we need to fundraise for it," she said"It'll be a very large sculpture. We want it to make an impression," she said.Organizers have a fundraising goal of $75,000 for the project.Appel and her associates want to fill all eight pedestals with art by the end of next summer."I'm pretty determined. I think we'll get it done," she saidThe group organizing the project doesn'tmini storageneed the full $75,000 until late in 2016. That's because the artists aren't being compensated for their works. Except for the one that'll be revealed today, the sculptors also won't be compensated for the leasing of their art.People will be able to vote on which sculpture they like best. In 2016, the Art on Main committee will purchase the winner of the People's Choice sculpture "and give it permanent placement in our community," Appel said. The sculptors are also eligible to win awards that total $5,000Other than that, the artists are not being compensated for the temporary use of their sculptures in downtown Aberdeen. They agree to have their sculptures used in hope that their work will the one of the eight that's purchased. Private citizens are also welcome to buy the sculptures.The eight pieces will remain in place for two years. They will then be replaced by other sculptures. So in a way, downtown Aberdeen is hosting a temporary outdoor sculpture garden that will run for two years at a time.The $75,000 will be used for operations and marketing, Appel said.The streetscape project, which was largely completed in 2010, was done with outdoor art in mind. The pedestals are owned by the city."To not put art on those pedestals would be a shame," Appel said.A subcommittee of the Art on Main committee will select the sculptures.The Aberdeen Downtown Association is the working arm of Art on Main. The ADA does the fundraising, solicits the sculptures and handles details, such as paying for the welding of sculptures to the pedestals.Donations to Art on Main are tax-deductible. For information, call 605-226-1557.Once people see the first sculpture along Main, Appel says she believes that many will contribute to the project."I think we have a lot of believers in art in Aberdeen," she says.Many people believe in the importance of downtown, she says. Physicians being recruited to Aberdeen, for instance, will be impressed by a community that supports public art, she said.Copyright: ___ (c)2013 the American News (Aberdeen, S.D.) Visit the American News (Aberdeen, S.D.) at .aberdeennews.com Distributed by MCT Information Services儲存