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Winners of public art contest to attend Art Harvest in Elgin

Two of the three winners of Elgin's first public art contest will attend the official unveiling of their pieces and answer the public's questions at Art Harvest next weekend.

Artist Davis McCarty created a sculpture titled "1835 Expedition" made of dichroic plexiglass, electroplated brass and aluminum that will be installed along the Riverside Drive promenade next week. Artist Joanna White created a mural titled "Which Way" that she completed along the south wall of the Hemmens Cultural Center. Both artists are from the Chicago area and will be at the Oct. 28 event in Elgin.

The third winner, artist Nathan Pierce of Missouri, won't be able to make the event, said cultural arts commission liaison Amanda Harris. Pierce's sculpture, a nearly 13-foot stainless steel sculpture titled "Continuum" already adorns the promenade, and lighting will be added before the event, Harris said.

The second annual Art Harvest, hosted by the city's cultural arts commission, is 1 to 3 p.m. at DuPage Court.

The event celebrating the Halloween season will feature an "inside-out" haunted house for kids - a large PVC tunnel decorated with cobwebs and other Halloween themes - a paint-your-own pumpkin and an "art treasure hunt' with local artists answering questions at various locations. A children's costume contest is at 3 p.m., and various downtown businesses will be open for trick-or-treating.

The public art will be unveiled at 1 p.m. beginning with "Continuum" on south end of the promenade, and continuing north to the other two pieces. All three pieces will have signage.

"They all will have a statement from the artist," Harris said. "They are all different. Sometimes it's about the inspiration for the piece, sometimes it's about the artists's work in general."

The two sculptures will be on display through 2019 and will be for sale after that - Pierce's for $35,200 and McCarty's for $12,000, Harris said. The mural will be in place for as long as it remains unscathed by the weather, an expected 10 to 15 years, she said.

For more information visit the commission's Facebook page at facebook.com/culturalartscommission.

  Artist Joanna White created this mural titled "Which Way" on the south wall of the Hemmens Cultural Center in Elgin. She will be at Art Harvest Oct. 28 to talk about her piece with the public. Rick West/rwest@dailyherald.com
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