'Kids Can't Keep Their Hands Off the Art'

While St. Charles' parks customarily offer visitors the untouched beauty of nature, human handiwork is transforming Mount St. Mary Park into a cultural destination on the Fox River.

Sculpture in the Park at the 29-acre park at Prairie Street and Route 31 features works by nationally recognized artists. The exhibit began in May and continues through from Oct. 1.

"That's cool!" said Judy Moon, who viewed "Heels Overhead," a stainless steel sculpture of a topsy-turvy human figure by Paul Bobrowitz Jr. of Colgate, WI. The piece is near Mount St. Mary skate park.

"It's cool to have it right here, where kids are flipping around on their skateboards behind it," she said.

Moon's reaction is what St. Charles resident and sculptor Ray Kobald was hoping for when he helped organize the first Sculpture in the Park exhibit in 2006.

"Kids can't keep their hands off the art, and that's good, as long as they treat it with respect," said Kobald, who has three bronze pieces–"Nice Pear," "Muejer con Olla" and "Echoes in the Wind"–in the exhibit. "Culturally and educationally, we believed it would add a lot to the community."

Sculpture in the Park was established by the public art committee of the Downtown St. Charles Partnership. The St. Charles Park District and the St. Charles Park Foundation now sponsor the exhibit, said Gloria Klimek, park board commissioner and member of the Downtown St. Charles Partnership's public art committee.

"Mount St. Mary is visible from Route 31, from the Prairie Street bridge, and from Route 25," Klimek said. "We get thousands of visitors to the park for various reasons–they walk, ride bikes, walk dogs. It lent itself to a public exhibition."

Three works have been purchased for permanent display, including "Nice Pear," a bronze pear-shaped piece by Ray Kobald; "Natural Wonders," a bronze sculpture of a child sitting atop a turtle by Michele Moushey Dale of Stoughton, WI.; and "Interim X," an abstract stainless steel piece by Bruce Niemi of Kenosha, WI.

"At the River's Edge," a bronze sculpture of a turtle by Ray Kobald's son, John Kobald of Meeker, CO, was donated by the Kobalds for permanent display.

This year's exhibit includes such pieces as "High Hopes II," a bronze work by Georgene McGonagle of Denver, CO. The sculpture depicts a girl leaning on a baseball bat, daydreaming about athletic aspirations.

"It's still evolving," Klimek said of the exhibit. "The number of sculptors chosen to participate has grown and it's really national now. To attract artists from places like Florida and out West is really a great thing. The quality is wonderful."

Klimek said the selection jury strives for diversity.

"We're bringing the art experience to the people; some who may never go into an art museum can see it. Some of the sculptures are more provocative and lasting, and people bring their own experiences to it when they're viewing them. It's a great interaction."

Visitors such as Judy Moon cannot help but react. She stopped abruptly at "Keep on Dreamin'," a stainless steel abstract piece by Bruce Niemi.

"It reminds me of a sailboat, like taking off and sailing to the moon, like something you'd see in a dream. At least in one of my dreams, anyway."

For information about Sculpture in the Park, to sponsor the exhibit or to buy a sculpture, call 630-513-4316.