A reception and walking tour of a Lawrence public art exhibit will celebrate the fleeting and the permanent, featuring sculptures, natural paper pulp on trees, a live performance and more.
The Unmistakable Public Art Exhibition, reenvisioned from the Outdoor Downtown Sculpture Exhibition, has taken place annually since 1988.
Hosted by the City of Lawrence and the Lawrence Cultural Arts Commission, the exhibition invites artists to honor the identity of Lawrence and seeks to explore the various forms that public art can take.
This year’s call for artists and creative teams encouraged “Works that explore an expanded, ephemeral notion of art in the public realm.”
Porter Arneill, the city’s assistant director of arts and culture, said the city is excited to include less traditional public art, from “Paint the Town in Paper,” a purposely temporary paper pulp applied to trees, to “Living Gods,” a live performance piece.
“Public art is an ever-expanding field so including innovative artworks like these bolsters our local artist’s professional experience and benefits our residents and visitors!” Arneill said via email.
The opening reception and walking tour of the 2025 Unmistakable Public Art Exhibition will be free and open to the public as part of September’s Final Friday events, according to a city news release.
The reception will start at 5:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 26 at the Parks, Recreation & Culture administrative offices in South Park, 1141 Massachusetts St., before transitioning to the walking tour.
People who can’t attend the walking tour can view the art using the Otocast mobile app, available through the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.
Here is a full list of featured works and locations from the exhibition website:
- Tate Owens, “In Gratitude” — northeast corner of Ninth and Massachusetts Streets
- V. skip willits, “Memory” — South Park, west side, northeast corner
- Evan Johnson, “Paint the Town in Paper” (Natural paper pulp applied to trees — intentionally temporary) — South Park
- Alicia Kelly, “Hangin’ In, Hangin’ Out” — Vermont Street parking garage
- Ky Reed, “Living Gods” (Performance) — three locations near Eighth and Massachusetts streets between 6 and 8:30 p.m. during Final Friday and the exhibition artwalk
- Myles Schachter, “Dance for Hope – Baila por la Esparanza” — southeast corner of Eighth and Massachusetts Streets
- Kristin Garnant, “Scions Bee” — Theatre Lawrence, 4660 Bauer Farm Drive
- Jacob Burmood, “Continuity” — southwest corner of Seventh and Massachusetts streets
- Nathaniel Pierce, “Lost Signals” — southeast corner planter at Sixth and Massachusetts streets
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