2022 Perryville Outdoor Sculpture Exhibit installation complete

Last Friday, five sculptures were installed in various places in town. It’s part of the 2022 Perryville Outdoor Sculpture Exhibit. Three were placed at Miget Park, another across from the Knight of Columbus hall on St. Joseph Street and the final one is in the parking lot on the other side of the street across from the Perryville post office.
Stephanie Sailer served as the juror for the 2022 version of the sculpture trail. An artist’s reception was held at the Catalyst Center for Business April 29.
Sailer detailed the process for this year’s show.
“Typically, it’s a combination of locations that the city can do and then also, all the artists are getting a stipend for submitting their work,” Sailer said. “The number that’s allowed for a show is determined by the city.”
Sailer also detailed judging the competition.
“Back in January, I made some preliminary ideas of the pieces that I would like to see on the show and then we met as a committee just to talk through that because there’s also logistics you discuss about the pieces. Everyone also gave some opinions as well and then we came up with a finalized list.”
Each person viewing the sculptures has a unique perspective or takeaway, according to Sailer.
“Everyone’s going to come to the sculptures with very different interpretation or a background of art,” Sailer said. “So for some people, it could be a really like detailed conversation about how this form is moving in this way whereas for someone else, it may be the excitement of seeing something new and something that they haven’t seen before. I think a great way to think about it is as a conversation starter.”
Trish Erzfeld, director of Perry County Heritage Tourism, was grateful for the positive comments and the appreciation of the artwork from the public.

Sculptures weren’t required to be created from a specific material. For an outdoor show, it’s requested that the materials that are used can withstand the weather, Sailer noted.
“That tends to include a lot of metals, though it can include concrete, and you could also have wood.”
Dylan Collins, who is from Morgantown, West Virginia, had his creation, titled “Mind Started Rambling” installed across from the post office.
“It’s all forged steel so it is all heated and manipulated,” Collins said. “It’s kind of like a dream. School is a place to be educated but I also like the idea that it’s kind of a place to daydream you know, I feel like there’s a lot of times I’ve sat at a desk and I think that’s a very common experience.”
Collins said there can also be musical themes as well.
“I wanted it to be kind of lyrical,” he said. “Some of the inspiration is things like musical staffs. Or, like EKG, like things that have rhythm, like a treble clef. It’s meant to be kind of, you know, dreamy, psychedelic and definitely playful.”
Sailer herself is a sculptor, who creates both indoor and outdoor pieces
She works at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb where she is an instructor as well as an academic advisor in the School of Art and Design.
“(The sculptures) are representative of a moment in time, an opportunity where everyone’s individual stories can come together that create a really interesting account of our lives,” Sailer said. “Thank you for all of the artists for submitting fabulous pieces. I love them all, and thank you to the community for supporting our artists and bringing that work out there and sharing with everyone else in the community as well.”
The exhibits will be on display through April 2023.