Bronzed Orville Redenbacher to pop up in Valparaiso park
By James D. Wolf Jr. Post-Tribune correspondent February 11, 2012 3:24PM
Artist rendintion of proposed Orville Redenbacher sculpture. | Provided photo~Sun-Times Media
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Updated: February 13, 2012 4:04PM
VALPARAISO — By Popcorn Fest in September, people will be able to share a downtown park bench with Orville Redenbacher — or at least his likeness.
The public art committee hasn’t decided which of three possible bronze Redenbacher statues will take up residence in Central Park Plaza, but the tribute to the popcorn maker is part of a move to bring public art to the city.
The Valparaiso Redevelopment Commission, which formed the art committee, has begun three other art initiatives besides that statue.
The first is the sculpture at the traffic roundabout at Lincolnway and Sturdy Road; the second will be a changing sculpture walk along Cumberland Drive and the third is a planned decorating of the city’s army green bicycle lockers around town with art designed by local school children.
“We’re definitely going to see more public art. We’re going to go the way Munster is,” said Redevelopment Commission President Laura Campbell, who also oversees art projects for the commission.
A Munster ordinance requires businesses getting a tax abatement to put 1 percent of the value toward public art, Munster Assistant Town Manager Clay Johnson said
Valparaiso isn’t looking at an ordinance, thought, said Campbell. It’s for enhancement.
“Artistic elements of public projects help provide vitality and identity to the redevelopment projects and Valparaiso. Visitors and tourists, young and old, rich and poor can all enjoy public art,” Redevelopment Executive Director Stu Summers stated by email.
It began almost two years ago when the commission received private donations to lease a statue called “Mercury” for the roundabout.
The Lubeznik Center for the Arts in Michigan City helped arrange the three-year lease.
Last week, the committee chose Highwood, Ill.-based artist Lou Cella from 13 artists to create the bronze Redenbacher statue.
Cella has been involved with the creation of Community Veteran’s Memorial in Munster, the Ernie Banks and Harry Carey statues at Wrigley Field, the Carlton Fisk statue at U.S. Cellular Field and the Father Hesburgh/Father Joyce memorial at University of Notre Dame.
The committee and Orville’s daughter, Gail Tuminello, will choose which of the three poses Cella submitted will go into Central Plaza.
“It’ll be great just to meet Orville in ‘person,’” City Council and Redevelopment Commission member Jan Dick said. “Everybody knows Orville and still loves Orville.”
The statue will cost $62,000, and the Redevelopment Commission will temporarily finance it from its brownfield fund used to clean up contaminated lands.
The commission and art committee will seek private donors to recoup the funding, Campbell said.
If necessary, the Redevelopment Commission will subsidize the statue, she said.
For the bike locker projects, the city will talk with art teachers at all eight city elementary schools at the end of March.
Each school will create art that will be turned into a “wrap” for the eight downtown lockers, and each school will receive a $500 stipend.
Work on the Cumberland sculpture walk, which will extend south from near the YMCA, began about two months ago when Campbell and art committee members learned about the Midwest Sculpture Initiative at a Carmel conference.
Midwest Sculpture Initiative will present a choice of artwork each year that municipalities like Valparaiso rent, and the MSI will handle insurance and upkeep costs.
The $14,000 annual rental of 10 pieces will come from private donations, and the pieces will be for sale.
Campbell said that the art committee will continue rotating sculptures in the sculpture walk each year and will try to find a new project each year.
“I think we’re going to grow at a steady pace,” she said.
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