Penticton looking for eight artists for annual public art exhibit

Penticton has issued the annual call for artists to apply to be part of the sculpture exhibit along a popular waterfront walkway.

The Penticton Public Sculpture Exhibit included one sculpture at the Front Street roundabout and seven spots along the Lakeshore Drive waterfront all of which are “high-profile outdoor location," according to a City of Penticton media release.

“Each year, we look forward to seeing the applications roll in from talented artists living near and far,” Kelsey Johnson, recreation, arts and culture manager with the city, said in the release. “They work with a wide range of media, from stone to salvaged metal, and we can’t wait to discover and reveal the new roster of sculptures for 2023.”

READ MORE: Hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of public art making its way to Kelowna

Each piece of art will be in place from May 19, 2023, to April 26, 2024, the city said.

Sculptors chosen to have their work on Lakeshore Drive will be paid $2,000 each. The artist whose piece is chosen for the Front Street roundabout will get $3,000, and the city may negotiate an additional one-year contract with them. There will also be prizes of $500, $300 and $200 for the top three sculptures.

Artists throughout Canada can apply. The eight selected to be in this year's exhibit are all from B.C. 

Public art has a history of sparking controversy in the B.C. Interior.

A bizarre sculpture of a nose and sunglasses continues to turn heads as part of this year’s exhibit.

Frank the Baggage Handler created a stir when it was unveiled in 2005.

A tall stack of white car frames can be found outside of the Kelowna Art Gallery.

READ MORE: Behind the Mask: Vernon's 'scary' murals don't actually scare children

In Vernon, the city was planning to spend $33,000 on nightmarish murals before it became controversial and political.

And a bull sculpture in Kamloops had to find a new home after six years at Riverside Park due to vandalism.

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