Art in the Park Now Accepting Submissions for 2013

Thursday, February 28, 2013

Jeffrey Starr, GoLocalWorcester Contributor

Art in the Park is now accepting submissions for its 2013 exhibition at historic Elm Park in Worcester. Submissions will be accepted through April 28th with Sculptors notified of their acceptance into the exhibition by May 24.

The exhibition will be on display in the park from the end of July through the middle of October. The juried exhibition is open to sculptors 18 years and older producing large-scale site-specific or existing sculptures suitable for long-term outdoor exposure.

The 2012 Art in the Park was cancelled due to renovations in Elm Park and a deficit of funding, but the exhibition plans to come back strong this year. Since its inception in 2008, it has brought over 150 regional artists and over 80 pieces of public art to the city. This will be the exhibition's fifth year on display.

"Public art has the power to energize our public spaces, arouse our thinking, and transform the places where we live, work and play into beautiful and welcoming spaces that invite pause and interaction," says the organization behind Art in the Park.

This year's jurors will include: Curator Anne Stothart, curatorial associate at the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston; Professor John Ventimiglia, Professor Emeritus of Sculpture and Drawing at the Main College of Art; and sculptor Murray Dewart, a nationally known and sculptor.

Artists accepted into the exhibit will each receive a $700 stipend. Many artists will also have the opportunity for their art to be displayed at an educational institution at the end of the exhibit, for which they will receive an additional $300 honorarium.

"The first four years of Art in the Park Worcester has demonstrated its viability, popularity and positive value to the city says the organization...works have been viewed by thousands of ethnically and economically diverse individuals from throughout New England," says the organization.

Art in the Park was one of only six projects to receive the Massachusetts Cultural Council Gold Star Award as "an exemplary cultural program" funded by a local cultural council in 2009.

Art in the Park is presented by Art in the Park, Worcester in association with the Arts & Business Council of Boston, the Worcester Parks Department and Arts Worcester.

For more information please visit Art in the Park or the Arts Council events page.