Right to left, Jon O’Kane, Diana Alexander and Signe Gurholt (Elizabeth MacLeod)
Details of Sculpture Saint John’s 2020 symposium and legacy event were announced Thursday evening at the New Brunswick Museum.
This year’s symposium will culminate in a legacy collection of 38 sculptures created over the five Symposiums, from 2012 to 2020, located from St. Stephen to Moncton to Fredericton with a similar trail of 72 granite sculptures in Maine.
“It’s a lasting legacy that we’ve created, and I’m so proud when I look back of having 38 pieces in New Brunswick and having an international sculpture trail,” said Diana Alexander, Executive Director of New Brunswick International Sculpture Symposium Inc.
People enjoying the Sculpture Saint John reception (Elizabeth MacLeod)
Sculpture Saint John is part of a global movement of symposiums which began in Austria in 1959, encouraging artists from around the world to gather and share their work and expertise.
More than 125,000 visitors came to the province over the course of Sculpture Saint John’s previous symposiums to view its artwork. The 2020 symposium will be held from August 6th-to-September 19th and for the first time at Long Wharf.
“It’s going to be a lot of visibility and it’s going to be a great location; we’re really excited about it and Port Saint John has been so supportive,” said Alexander.
The eight artists and their respective community sponsors participating in the final symposium are:
Valerian Jikia, Republic of Georgia – Town of Oromocto
Viktar Kopach, Belarus – Kiwanis Club of Saint John
Zdravko Zdravkov, Bulgaria – City of Dieppe
Songul Telek, Turkey – Town of Grand Bay-Westfield
Canan Zöngür, Turkey – City of Moncton
Pauls Jaunzems, Latvia – Friends of Seaside Park
James Boyd, New Brunswick, Canada – Deer Island Chamber of Commerce
Philip Savage, New Brunswick, Canada – Uptown Saint John
Workshops run by the Sculpture for Children Program will be held throughout the symposium where sculptors and emerging New Brunswick artists will work together to teach visitors of all ages about the techniques and material used in creating the unique sculptures.
The reception hosted a silent auction of artwork created by New Brunswick artists, including Amy Ash, Charles Clark and Jim Boyd.
