For the City Times

A residency to create large-scale sculptures for the Stevens Point Sculpture Park has brought several internationally known artists to Central Wisconsin.

The project, “Out of the Woods: A Grand Entrance,” includes work by Tim Curtis of Florida, Francois Lelong of France, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point Art and Design Professor Stuart Morris and Ayumi Ishil and Sean Saltrom, both formerly of Japan and now living in Wisconsin. The artists will add four permanent, large-scale pieces to the park the week of Oct. 16.

A few UW-Stevens Point art and design students are earning independent study credits as they work with the artists at the Noel Fine Arts Center on campus. Other students are coming by to watch as the works take shape.

“Working together in the same space, our students can observe the artists’ technique as they create,” said Morris. They are also learning from the artists by talking about how to network and contract for work in public locations and galleries across the world, he said.

A Grand Finale Party for “Out of the Woods” will be held from 5-7 PM on Saturday, Oct. 21, rain or shine, to mark the project’s completion. Free and open to the public, the event will include opportunities to meet and speak with the artists, guided tours, interactive art, donated refreshments from local businesses and a bonfire (weather permitting).

“The residency is a way to celebrate how far the park has come since opening to the public in 2010,” said Liz Wellso, co-chair of the park. “These artists bring their global savvy, artistic fluency and creativity to the Stevens Point Sculpture Park.”

More than $13,000 has been raised for “Out of the Woods” through private donors and a grant from the Community Foundation of Central Wisconsin. To learn more, go to http://stevenspointsculpturepark.org/.

Located at 900 Second Avenue North, the 20-acre Stevens Point Sculpture Park originated through a similar artist-in-residency project, “With the Grain,” in 2005. The co-sponsors were the city of Stevens Point, Stevens Point Arts Council, Stevens Point Area Schools and UW-Stevens Point. Curtis, Lelong and Morris took part of that original project.

The park now features more than 30 sculptures among woodlands, wetlands, ponds and prairie. It offers are educational activities, programs and environmental art exhibits.