PEORIA, Ill. — The Peoria Park District unveiled a new sculpture Friday in Donovan Park, the first of six planned for the year.
The unveiled sculpture, titled “Here and Now,” was created by artist Michelle Lanning.
The sculpture was designed to be interactive, and individuals can walk onto it and look out at the rest of Donovan Park.
“It’s really representing the interface, the juxtaposition of urban and natural area,” said Volunteer Coordinator for the Donovan Park Sculpture Garden David Pittman.
Pittman also added landscaping will be completed around the sculpture, which will further enhance the urban versus natural juxtaposition.
The sculpture was a gift from the Urbana Park District, and various pieces are set to be installed during the remainder of this year, said Pittman.
“We have concrete pads that we built during the fall scattered throughout the park,” said Pittman. “We hope that people will explore Donovan Park and come upon these art pieces and enjoy them.”
The future installations will include both abstract and human sculptures.
“Each piece will tend to be unique,” said Pittman. “It will be on loan or rental from the artist.
“We’ll have it for one year and then we’ll rotate it out with another piece.”
The timeline for when the next sculpture will go up is unclear because of the weather, according to Pittman.
“Our window of opportunity for installation depends on whether the ground is completely frozen during the winter or completely dry,” said Pittman. “We’re hoping that if everything comes together we might be able to put two more pieces in within the next 30 to 45 days.”
