SALINA — The 2019 People's Choice Award winner was announced this week. From the SculptureTour Salina Facebook page:
SculptureTour Salina
SculptureTour Salina is pleased to announce the 2019 People’s Choice Award winner is “Wheat Harvest” by James Mages from Hays, Kansas.
“Wheat Harvest is about recognizing the importance of wheat in our daily lives”, stated artist James Mages. “This piece showcases the beauty of a plant that endures all the elements and still produces an outstanding golden field. Although the field is comprised of individual plants, once they are combined, they create a breath-taking appearance to behold.
They sway in the wind, creating a wave of liquid gold, much like the blue waves of an ocean. It’s hard for man to replicate a color that resembles the gold of a wheat field as God is the creator of that color.”
The tall stalk of wheat was selected by popular vote from among the 16 pieces that made up the 2019 SculptureTour exhibition. Voting opened with the installation in early May and closed December 31, 2019.
“The People’s Choice Award is a very important aspect of the SculptureTour Salina project”, said Penny Bettles, SculptureTour Salina committee member. “It gives the public an opportunity to choose a favorite and have their voice counted when a piece is chosen to stay in Salina.”
“The City of Salina is honored to be a partner with SculptureTour Salina”, said Brad Anderson, Executive Director of Salina Arts and Humanities. “SculptureTour Salina has helped shape the artistic landscape in our city in a positive way through public and private acquisitions. We are appreciative of their efforts.”
Wheat Harvests new location is still to be determined by the SculptureTour Salina officials, citizen advisory boards and eventually the Salina City Commission.
About the People’s Choice Artist
James Mages is a native of Kansas who grew up in a small town in western Kansas whose next-door neighbor was a wheat field. After getting his Master of Arts degree at Fort Hays State University, he began his teaching career as an art instructor at Hays High School in Hays, Kansas. Later in my teaching career, I decided to get my Master of Fine Arts. Teaching and inspiring young adults was the highlight of his career and his true passion; “I have enjoyed seeing how my former students have excelled in life and this brings great joy to my heart”, states Mages. James also continues to pursue art competitions both locally and nationally.
The second and third place People’s Choice winners were:
2nd place and winning $1,000 – “Nature” by Jodie Bliss from Monument Colorado
3rd place and winning $500 – “When Pigs Fly, Amelia’s Jet Pack” by Dale Lewis from Hastings, Minnesota
Sculpture Tour Salina is an exciting exhibit of outdoor sculptures displayed in downtown Salina, Kansas. The sculptures are on loan from the artists for one year, May through April. All sculptures are promoted for sale to the public. Artists are eligible to win awards for Best of Show, People's Choice Purchase Award, and other voting by attendees.
The Sculpture Tour Salina committee is comprised of volunteers from all walks of life that work on this program all year long. The Tour adds artistic pizzazz to historic downtown Salina and helps to grow the economy by making Salina a more attractive tourist destination. As an arts-friendly community, the committee is working to make Salina a better place to live, work and play.