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The women behind one of the most successful public events in Auburn’s recent history don’t blame the city for its initial skepticism.
The group of self-described “little old ladies” raised nearly $80,000 to bring a temporary sculpture exhibit to the city’s downtown two years ago.
Now they hope to raise enough money to bring much of the exhibit back to town in 2010 – recession be darned. And this time, city officials are taking them seriously.
“Nobody thought we’d be able to do it,” volunteer Fran Mefford said of the previous effort. “But we did.”
Sculptures on the Square, a collection of 20 lifelike bronze sculptures by J. Seward Johnson, caused double-takes in Auburn throughout the summer of 2007. The life-size sculptures depicted everyday scenes: children sharing ice cream; a man thumbing through a book; an elderly woman clutching a bag of groceries.
The free art exhibit drew visitors all summer who posed with them or took pilgrimages around the city to view all 20 sculptures.
Mefford and Priscilla Creaven, members of the all-volunteer, non-profit Auburn Arts Commission, first approached the city in 2005 to ask whether they could pursue leasing the sculptures. Auburn would be one of the smallest communities to exhibit the artwork.
Mefford laughed when she recalled city purchasing agent David Wolff’s reaction – polite, but unconvinced.
“He’s the nicest person in the world, but he didn’t believe me,” she said.
Wolff admits he has a similar recollection of the meeting. He and Mayor Norman Yoder listened to the women and gave some suggestions, but Wolff said he didn’t think they’d be able to raise enough money.
The arts commission’s other events, such as a winter writing contest, are much smaller. Even before the country entered a recession, $78,000 was a lot of money.
And the volunteers? Wolff is diplomatic, but it would be fair to label many of them as “elderly ladies.”
“When those sculptures arrived, I about fell over,” Wolff said.
Not only did they raise the money, but they also made a believer of Wolff, so much that he’s been attending planning meetings to help the women with logistics of hauling around the massive bronze pieces.
The foot traffic the display brought to downtown amazed city officials and business owners, Wolff said.
“They did the city a great service with those things,” he said.
Kathie Swaim, co-chair of the sculpture committee, embraces the “little old lady” label, although she’s quick to note she’s barely aged enough to draw Social Security and not all the committee members are retired or “elderly.”
“We kind of like to shake things up a bit,” she said with a laugh.
Despite past success, the committee is taking a more conservative approach to its fundraising in respect of the area’s economic situation. Because the memory of the last exhibit is still fresh in many locals’ minds, the group has budgeted less for promotion, she said.
The group plans to reserve 12 sculptures and one of Johnson’s “monumental” sculptures, which are based on iconic American art and stand about 30 feet tall.
The total fundraising goal this time is $50,000; half needs to be raised by the end of this month to put a down payment on the exhibit. By last week, the group had raised $16,000, which Swaim said is in escrow, just in case the goal can’t be reached.
Funding sources have changed, too. More than 40 percent of the group’s funding for the first exhibit came from foundations. That percentage is much less this time, because so many foundations are seeing their investments shrinking.
The group has focused on small, individual donations, and the approach is paying off. Members are selling bumper stickers – “Sculptures Again in 2010!” They’re selling $1 buttons – “I Want An Encore!”
To Swaim’s surprise, button sales alone have raised about $200.
Persuading people to contribute to the arts during a recession hasn’t been easy, she said. But now that the community is familiar with Johnson’s art, they’re eager to have it back.
Swaim has stressed that the exhibit will be free and open 24 hours a day, seven days a week and will help lift spirits. As with the previous exhibit, the group hopes to plan related events such as educational programs for children and adults and guided tours.
“That will help the entire community,” she said. “I’m convinced we’re going to do it.”
The fundraiser has the support of the Fort Wayne Museum of Art, which assisted with the first exhibit. Community outreach specialist Megan Mirro said the recession is bad timing but not an excuse not to bring art to the masses.
“It’s not a time to back down from things,” she said. “They have all the energy and optimism to pull it off.”
