Stipend raised for artists in St. Charles Sculpture in the Park

The Downtown St. Charles Partnership and the St. Charles Park District have jointly announced that sculptors whose pieces are accepted into Sculpture in the Park, now in its fourth year, will receive a stipend of $500 instead of $350. Any sculptor who has two pieces accepted into the exhibition will receive a stipend of $750 in total. The new deadline for sculptor submissions is Feb. 15.

Sculpture in the Park, which runs from mid-April through October 12, attracts about 8,000 visitors each year. The exhibition displays sculptures from artists throughout the Midwest in Mount St. Mary Park, located at Route 31 and Prairie Street in downtown St. Charles, alongside the Fox River.

"The committee that organizes the exhibition wanted to be sure we were on par with other similar exhibitions, in terms of the stipend the sculptors receive," said David Richards, Executive Director of the Downtown St. Charles Partnership. "Committee volunteers did some research of comparable exhibits and discovered we needed to increase the amount we were paying to help ensure the continued high quality of works."

In 2007, Sculpture in the Park was one of the top three finalists in Lt. Governor Pat Quinn's Illinois Main Street's "Award for Excellence."

The Downtown St. Charles Partnership and St. Charles Park District also announced that they are looking for businesses to help sponsor the exhibition.

"Sponsors of Sculpture in the Park receive several months of marketing benefits from their involvement," continued Richards. "It is widely publicized and well marketed by our two organizations, which creates a great deal of marketing exposure for the businesses that sponsor it."

Any businesses, organizations or individuals interested in sponsoring Sculpture in the Park should contact Deanna Chrones, Communications Coordinator of the Downtown St. Charles Partnership, at (630) 513-5386. Artists interested in participating should contact Candy Boulay of the St. Charles Park District at (630) 513-4316. Details about the exhibition are available at www.st-charlesparks.org.

The mission of the Downtown St. Charles Partnership is to "enhance the economic viability and to preserve the character and beauty of downtown St. Charles." In addition to business recruitment, business assistance, and downtown preservation, the Downtown St. Charles Partnership produces the Electric Christmas Parade, Sister's Weekend, the St. Charles Fine Art Show and, in conjunction with the Park District, Sculpture in the Park and Concerts in the Park, among other events.