Normal | wikipedia.org
Normal | wikipedia.org
At its meeting on October 20, the Normal Town Council approved spending $69,750 to buy four permanent sculptures for a new park at 1110 Douglas Street, near the Community Activity Center at One Normal Plaza. The sculptures are all by artists from Illinois.
The selected pieces include “In and Out of the Blue” by Dann Nardi of Normal, a large circular concrete sculpture with an opening and globes for visitors to interact with; “American Kestrel” by Shawn A. Hensley of Champaign, a colored concrete sculpture depicting a kestrel on a tree-like base; “Whorled” by Nicole Beck of Chicago, an eight-foot stainless steel work featuring dichroic glass that changes color depending on the viewing angle; and “Happy, Happy, Happy” by Jeremy Burdette of Bartonville, a six-foot carbon steel figure with raised arms.
Beth Whisman, director of Cultural Arts for the Town, said: “The Public Art Working Group did a great job. We are excited to bring the sculpture park to life. The Town received submissions from 20 artists for consideration. Of those, eight artists were selected for further review by the Public Art Working Group and staff. They selected four permanent pieces to start this pilot project.”
Doug Johnson, executive director of McLean County Arts Center, assisted in curating groups of top-rated works based on budget, availability, materials and size. Installation is planned for spring 2026 with a grand opening scheduled to coincide with the Route 66 Centennial. One Normal Plaza is located near historic Route 66.
The new sculptures will join "Circle of Friendship," an existing memorial at the site honoring people connected to the former Illinois Soldiers and Sailors Children’s School (ISSCC). An ISSCC alumni representative was part of the selection group.
Additional artwork may be added as funding allows.
“This is the beginning,” Whisman added. “We want to ensure future generations will enjoy public visual art in our community and recognize the Town as a place that fosters unique expression, collaboration and celebration through public art.”
The development follows several years of planning since establishing Normal’s Cultural Arts Department in late 2016. In February 2020 town staff discussed strategies for public art projects; in January 2022 council directed staff to move forward with visual arts strategies; in May-June 2023 residents expressed strong support for public art during a scientific survey; in August 2023 Mayor Chris Koos appointed members to form the Public Art Working Group; and since then multiple steps have been taken including securing funding and issuing requests for artist qualifications.
In July 2024, Normal received a $50,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts toward designing and installing a mural as part of another local project.
For more information about Normal’s vision for public art visit normalil.gov/PublicArt.