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May Issue 2003
Every Sculpture Tells a Story in Summerville, SC's Azalea Park
The first piece of sculpture, Hop To It by Colorado sculptor Kim Shaklee, was purchased and installed in a shallow pond in Summerville's Azalea Park in Sept., 1999. It is a 53" bronze Southern leopard frog, the #4 in an edition of 12. Another sculpture from that edition of 12 was installed in the Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington, DC, also in 1999.
The second piece of public sculpture in Summerville's Azalea Park was a bronze yellow Labrador retriever we call TOBY, by sculptor W. Stanley Proctor of Tallahassee, FL, who was a participant in Sculpture in the South 2000. TOBY was selected and purchased by Joann Brooks in memory of her husband, John M. Brooks, and pays tribute to the devotion and comfort that was provided to him during his illness by a stray yellow Lab. Mrs. Brooks wanted to create a symbol that would have a positive effect on those who encountered it, so Toby was placed beside a bench where people could sit and pat his head. Jimmy Midgett of J & M Foundry donated the park bench when he heard the story of Mrs. Brooks' gift. An indication of the how many people have enjoyed the sculpture of the bronze yellow Lab is the fact that in just a few months the patina on the dog's head had been worn off. Sculptors tell us that it means that thousands of people have rubbed Toby's head, and we couldn't be more pleased!
The third sculpture,
installed in Feb. 2002, is Follow the Leader. Engineered
for children to climb on and enjoy, the bronze life-sized images
of the five playful children and their dog are installed on a
low serpentine brick wall near the amphitheatre in Azalea Park.
Follow the Leader is also the work of artist W. Stanley Proctor,
and was a favorite at the Sculpture in the South 2000 Exhibit
& Sale. After eighteen months of persistence and patience,
this beautiful grouping came to Summerville, made possible through
of the contributions of hundreds of remarkable people in our community
and a generous grant from the Saul Alexander Foundation.
Anticipation and Whisper on the Wind by Diane D. Mason
of Loveland, CO, were donated by Dr. David Price and his mother,
Jean, in memory of David's father. The two bronze sculptures depict
life-sized foxes, one alertly sitting and expectantly licking
his lips and the other standing only on his two hind legs, curiously
sniffing the air. Neighbors have told us they have seen a pair
of foxes scampering through the East Side of Azalea Park near
to where the foxes are installed. The dedication was held on Nov.
8, 2002.
Friends and family of
the late Jack Wilbanks, former Summerville Town Administrator,
purchased For Wind and Waves, by Robert Allison of Columbia,
SC. Wilbanks had a life-long love of reading, and was impressed
with the bronze sculpture depicting a little girl seated on a
wall and reading a book when he saw it in Azalea Park during the
Sculpture in the South 2001 Exhibit & Sale. Its dedication
took place Nov. 29, 2002, on the East Side of Azalea Park.
In Jan., 2003 Summerville's public sculpture collection added
its seventh installation with Dreamin' of the Big Game
by Bobbe Gentry of Poetry, TX. This 24" bronze depicts a
kneeling 6-year old boy with baseball and glove, his face beaming
as he imagines making the game saving catch. Donated by three
individuals from Summerville, Big Game rests on its own
"home plate" at the entrance to Summerville's Gahagan
Soft Ball Fields.
Proceeds from the Sculpture in the South 2002 Exhibit &
Sale have been used to purchase the eighth piece of artwork for
Summerville's outdoor sculpture collection: Bobbe Gentry's Fantasy
Flight, a 48" high bronze reflecting a young woman's
dream of freedom, with a bird lifting in flight from her hand.
It is from an edition of ten. Installation was made in a reflecting
pond on the East Side of Azalea Park early in 2003.
On Sept. 11, 2003, Kneeling
Firefighter, a commissioned piece by Robert Allison will be
added to Summerville's public sculpture collection.
Sculpture in the South is a non-profit organization whose
mission is to promote the appreciation of sculpture through education;
the creation of a collection of permanent outdoor sculpture in
Summerville's public realm; and the beautification of Summerville's
public areas.
For more information contact Charlotte Carroll, Manager, Sculpture
in the South, P.O. Box 1030, Summerville, SC 29484, 843/851-7800
or on the web at (www.sculptureinthesouth.com).
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