Julia Perkins | Aug. 9, 2021
DANBURY — Four new sculptures created by local artists are expected to help liven downtown Danbury.
The works will join the sculptures already displayed on Main Street near the intersection of Kennedy Avenue as part of CityCenter Danbury’s ongoing “Sculpture in the Streets” project.
These sculptures are being added on Main Street through a collaboration between the Cultural Alliance of Western Connecticut and CityCenter Danbury.
It’s part of the Cultural Alliance’s “Accessible Art” program to promote artists and their work throughout the region. This is the second Accessible Art program this year, with the first being installed at Aquila’s Nest Vineyards in Newtown.
“Partnering with CityCenter is a great example of how we support community,” Lisa Scails, executive director of the Cultural Alliance of Western Connecticut, said in a statement. “We are connecting artists with the opportunity to make art more accessible to everyone, and in this case, helping to create a vibrant downtown Danbury that’s welcoming and interesting.”
The city is installing new streetscape in downtown Danbury in an effort to revitalize the area.
Art Stueck, chair of the CityCenter Board of Commissioners, thanked the Cultural Alliance and the artists.
“Public art is a great reason to travel to a destination and we intend to make Danbury a place to visit, view, and enjoy all forms of public art,” he said. “And while you’re here, you can participate in events such as ‘Dancing Under the Stars,’ and our friendly trivia competitions, as well as eat at a wonderful downtown restaurant.”
Selected artists are from Danbury, Bethel and New Hartford.
Artist Justin Perlman, of Bethel, created an abstract sculpture called “Virtuoso,” which was re-purposed from an old bulldozer blade and is a “not-quite solid figure of pieces resembling notes and instruments,” the Cultural Alliance said.
Another piece by Brian McCarley, of Danbury, is called the “Continuum: The Doorway Between Past and Future.” It’s made of reclaimed steel and stained glass and represents the “interconnected nature of life and death” during the coronavirus pandemic, the organization said.
David Skora, New Hartford resident and Western Connecticut State University professor, focused on the tension between objects in his piece, “Bent.”
Danbury resident Jim Felice’s “Jack and Jill” was originally constructed in the 1990s in memory of the artist’s aunt and uncle, who were professional ballroom dancers and whose act was named “Jack and Jill.”
