Check out this year’s Florida Outdoor Sculpture Competition

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“Lick” by Tim Curtis | Photo via the Parks and Recreation Dept.

If you’ve taken a walk or a drive down Lemon Street, you might have noticed 12 sculptures dotting the street and the neighboring promenade + library. The art kicks off the start of the 22nd Florida Outdoor Sculpture Competition.

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“Red Buffalo” by James Futral, of Fort Myers, FL | Photo via Parks + Rec Dept.

Here’s what this means

Over 60 artists submitted sculpture designs to a local jury, made up of city staff, Polk Museum of Art staff, and other art community members who narrowed down the crop to the top 12. Applications opened in the fall of 2021 and the competition expanded this year to include two sculptures at the Lakeland Public Library for the first time.

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Installation of “Ode to Growth” by Glenn Zweygardt, pictured | Photo via the Parks and Rec Dept.

The remaining 10 dots three blocks along Lemon Street, between South Florida Avenue and Massachusetts Avenue, through the end of the year. Participants will compete to win the People’s Choice Award, which is voted upon by the community — polls will open soon.

The 12 sculptures include:

  • Un(Raveled)” by Austin Darby, of Charleston, SC
  • Red Digital Arch” by Jim Gallucci, of Greensboro, NC
  • Dark Matter” + “Nitrogenous” by Hanna Jubran, of Grimesland, NC
  • Ode to Growth” + “ZigZag Blues” by Glenn Zweygardt, of Alfred Station, NY
  • Icosahedron” by Kirk Seese, of Lutherville-Timonium, MD
  • Wonder” by Abigail Cochran, of Virginia Beach, VA
  • Guardian Wings” by Jessica Bradsher, of Greenville, NC
  • Windsors Cloud Pierce” by Mel Pruitt, of Cleveland, TN
  • Red Buffalo” by James Futral, of Fort Myers, FL
  • Lick” by Tim Curtis, of Key West, FL
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“Icosahedron” by Kirk Seese | Photo via Parks + Rec Dept.

To learn more about the sculptures and the design behind them, visit the city’s website, here. Then, stay tuned on Instagram and the city’s site (tentatively) on Mon., March 14 for the final photos of all 12 sculptures.