CREEDE— The third annual Creede Sculpture Show kicked off Friday night and went throughout the weekend, bringing over 1,500 people to the small park in downtown Creede for a chance to see some amazing art by local and visiting artists.
“The weekend was a huge success. We had some wonderful pieces to display for the show and our artists were very enthusiastic and even came up with some great ideas for future events,” said event coordinator Fred McLeroy.
President of Creede Arts Council (CAC) Debbie Whitmore started the event three years ago as a way to showcase artists and give them the chance to show their work in a juried show setting. Over the last few years, the show has grown in popularity, bringing more artists to the area to highlight their sculptures that range in mediums from metal to clay.
“This is a fantastic way to enrich our community through art and it has been a pleasure to work with Debbie on this project for the last two years. She is the driving force behind the Creede Arts Council and deserves a pat on the back for all her hard work,” said McLeroy.
This year’s show was judged by Dana Provence who comes to the show from Alamosa. Provence is a nationally exhibited and internationally collected sculptor and is currently a professor of art at Adams State University. His artwork is driven by conceptual themes that are rooted in language, particularly wisdom literature and folk wisdom. He incorporates a wide-ranging mix of traditional and contemporary materials to highlight elements of the human experience. Provence’s piece “Offering” was purchased by CAC and is on display in the Seaborn Collins Art Park.
There were 10 artists who participated in the show and had their sculptures on display and for sale throughout the entire weekend. “It is a great opportunity for sculptors to display their art in a beautiful downtown setting and we had a wonderful turnout on every day except Sunday when a storm moved through the area. Overall, I think we had about 1,600 people visit the park and walk through the displays, which is the biggest year yet,” said McLeroy.
Each year the CAC purchases one sculpture from the show to be placed permanently in the Seaborn Collins Art Park which is located on Main Street just a block from Basham Park. “This year we chose ‘Too Tired to Fish’ by Jim Gilmore from Alamosa. It was perfect for the area and will fit in with all of the other sculptures in the park,” said McLeroy.
The other winners for this year’s show include, David Lobdell’s “Nesting Book,” which took first place; Croix Williamson’s “Chair for the Window” came in second, and Shaun McGlynn’s “Argentum 1” took third.
“Next year we hope to reach out to local universities including Adams State and Western State over in Gunnison to try and get more art students involved with the event. Hopefully it will bring even more interest to the show and give art students the chance to display their work,” finished McLeroy.
A huge thanks goes out to all of the sponsors who helped make the event possible, the judge and volunteers as well as those who attended the show over the weekend.