Spaulding: STAY!

There’s a fun campaign going on in town that’s really putting the ‘public’ in Edina public art. The goal is to raise funds ~ mostly through $10, $25, $50 and $100 tax deductible donations by Edina residents young and not so young ~ to purchase Spaulding, the bronze dog sculpture by Heidi Hoy located by Salut Bar Americain at 50th & France.

The whimsical dog has wagged his way into the hearts of Edina residents and visitors alike as they shop at the popular retail area and especially when visiting Salut, a part of Parasole Restaurant Holdings. People stop and pet Spaulding and love to have their photos taken with him.

Lots of people have talked about making Spaulding a permanent fixture.  He was originally part of the 2012 Edina Public Art Committee rotating exhibit which ended in May to make way for the 2013 exhibit which includes 11 new sculptures at three locations: 50th & France, The Promenade and Grandview Square Park.

That talking has now turned to action on the part of several key players headed by 

* City Council Member Ann Swenson

* Zach Saueressig, General Manager of Salut

* Kip Clayton, Vice President of Marketing and Business Development for Parasole

* Dick Crockett, Executive Director of the Edina Community Foundation (ECF)

* Larry Friedrichs, Lion’s Club

* Rachel Thelemann, Executive Director of the 50th & France Business Association 

* Barbara La Valleur (that’s me), Chair of EPAC which is a working group of the Edina Art and Culture Commission 

* and other city leaders have created a campaign to raise funds 

You’ll soon see video spots filmed by the Edina Communications Department. Their poster by Graphic Designer Kyril Negoda will be seen around town and I’ve included it along with photos of Spaulding on this blog. If you go to the city website www.EdinaMN.gov you’ll see Spaulding decked out with a Salud napkin for a scarf along with Saueressig.

The campaign received a huge boost with a generous lead gift of $1,000 by Edina residents Doug and Sharon Pugh. Their daughter Anna, a senior at Edina High School and an artist herself, has been an active student member on EPAC for over a year.  

Saueressig said the plan is to generate contributions to cover the cost of the sculpture ~ $7,650 ~ by the end of October. Clayton also emphasized that the ultimate goal is to raise more than the cost of Spaulding to be used by EPAC to further public art in Edina. 

Here is a list of planned events to help fund Spaulding:

• Wednesday, Sept. 18th, Salut, 5034 France Ave. S., Edina 55410 will donate 10% of the entire day’s profits. Those who come for dinner between 7 and 9 p.m. will have an opportunity to meet the artist, Heidi Hoy of St. Bonifacius, MN. Reservations are recommended by calling 952-929-3764.

• Sunday, Oct. 6th, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Lions Annual Waffle Breakfast at Braemar there will be a tabletop display with a video of kids playing with Spaulding, an area for children to color a Spaulding-like dog character on placemats and there will be information about how to contribute. 

• Saturday, Oct. 26th, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., the 50th & France Annual Pumpkin Festival will include activities around Spaulding and opportunities to donate. 

• Donations may also be sent directly to the Edina Community Foundation earmarked “Spaulding”, 5280 Grandview Sq., Edina, MN 55436.

Thanks to Frank Petrovic of the Edina Communications Department for the headline Spaulding: STAY! 

I invite you to leave a comment about Spaulding and what public art means to you. Feel free to download your favorite photo of yourself with Spaulding on this site. 

For more information about the Edina Public Art Committee, please contact me at 612-578-2422 or barbara.lavalleur@gmail.com.