October 15 - August 1, 2023
From the San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts:
“The San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts is pleased to host the Seventh Biennial Salmon Sculpture Competition in Memory of Pam Salmon, a juried exhibition of outdoor sculpture. Large-scale works by different artists from all over the nation will be on display at Sunken Garden Park from October 15, 2021 – August 1, 2023. This exhibit is generously sponsored by Richard and Sherry Salmon. It is presented by the San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts, Angelo State University, The Old Chicken Farm Art Center, and The City of San Angelo, with the cooperation of the City of San Angelo Public Art Commission and the City government. Sunken Garden Park (700 Block S. Abe Street/W. Avenue D) includes a formal sunken garden area where, spring through fall, canna and other flower displays are featured. The park also includes large open areas, landscaped groves and a walking and jogging track, as well as handsome retaining walls, stairs, and other stonework created by the WPA in the 1930s. The large-scale sculptures enhance an already beautiful spot, and add yet another attraction to San Angelo’s wonderful River Walk. The opening and awards reception will take place on Friday, October 15, from 5:30 to 8 p.m., at Sunken Garden Park. Live music and refreshments will be provided, and the event is free and open to the public. The winning sculptures on display have been selected for the show by competition juror Emily Wilkinson, Public Art Director for the Texas Tech University System. Though the San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts and the Salmon Sculpture Competition are not affiliated with the Texas Tech University System, Wilkinson agreed to serve as an independent juror for this show. Of the sculptures Wilkinson selected for the Salmon Sculpture Competition, three will win cash prizes: $2,000 for First Prize, $1,500 for Second Prize, and $1,000 for Third Prize. There are other Opening Weekend events, including the Sculpture Symposium, sponsored by Angelo State University and the San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts, on
2 Friday, October 15, from 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 pm with an intermission. The Symposium will include presentations by Ms. Wilkinson and also Andrew Bellatti Green, Exhibiting Artist at the Angelo State University Gallery 193. After an intermission, the featured speakers will engage in a panel discussion and dialogue with the audience. Howard Taylor, Director of SAMFA, will serve as moderator. The Symposium will take place in room 101, in the Carr Education-Fine Arts Building at Angelo State University at 2602 Dena Dr. The symposium is free and the public is invited to attend. Parking will be available in ASU lot 42, at the corner of Dena and Rosemont. A sculpture exhibit, Static, featuring Green’s work, will also be open for viewing on Friday the 15
th from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Gallery 193, also located inside the Carr Education Building. Green is a sculptor living and working in Austin, Texas, who has exhibited sculpture nationally and internationally. In addition, Green is a licensed Architect managing multi-million dollar projects at McKinney York Architects in Austin. Richard Salmon, businessman, arts patron, and sculptor, is the founder and sponsor of this groundbreaking national sculpture competition. Mr. Salmon, who is now retired, spent a lifetime in the business of metal fabrication and manufacturing, and formerly served as the president and owner of Wendland Steel located in San Angelo. “I have always been fascinated by some of the truly extraordinary works of art created by sculptors that I have seen in my travels throughout this country and abroad,” he says. “I have had a dream for many years to see San Angelo become the home of a major sculpture garden and collection. By sponsoring this sculpture competition I believe we will be able to bring a rich new dimension to our community and set us on the path to creating a permanent major sculpture garden.” Creating a permanent sculpture garden in San Angelo is indeed a goal shared by many, including the City government, who commissioned landscape architects to create a plan for improvements to Sunken Garden Park. The plan, being created by MMA Landscape Architects of Arlington, is designed to enhance and restore the park’s existing beauties and features, and make it a space that will operate as a permanent, intentional sculpture garden. Fundraising for this project has not yet begun. For more information, call the San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts at 325-653-3333, or visit the museum’s website at www.samfa.org.”
Reception: October 15, 2021 | 5:30–8 pm
San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts - SAMFA
1 Love Street
San Angelo, 76903 TX
325.653.3333
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