2018/2019 Midwest Sculpture Initiative in Fostoria
Fostoria was chosen to be one of 16 host communities for a public art exhibit in 2018/2019. Eight pieces were installed in various locations from Perry Street through Main Street on Thursday, May 31st and will be in place for one year.
Midwest Sculpture Initiatives’s mission is to provide outdoor sculpture exhibitions throughout the Midwest, promote cooperation among art and civic organizations, advance the role that the visual arts play in the quality of life and increase economic development. In pursuing this goal, Midwest Sculpture Initiative (MSI ) has assembled 119 such exhibits thus far. In organizing these exhibits MSI has collaborated with community members, committees, individual hosts, arts professionals and sculptors. MSI has a database of over 1,700 sculptors to solicit work from, a website for promotion of exhibitions, a large inventory of “rentable” concrete pads, the heavy equipment necessary for the placement of pads and artwork, and the expertise to complete the task. Cochran said, “MSI’s proven success in curating public art exhibits for nearly two decades is impressive. Their exhibits have created quite a following of visitors who travel from city to city to view the outdoor sculptures. We feel very fortunate that Fostoria can participate in this unique opportunity. It will be fun to see people’s reactions to the variety of sculptures we selected, from the scientific to the whimsical. The entire display will bring a smile to your face and be quite the conversation starter.”