CityArt Walking Sculpture Tour celebrates 10th anniversary

MANKATO, Minn. (KEYC) - Downtown Mankato’s CityArt Walking Sculpture Tour is entering its tenth year with the debut of 31 new sculptures this weekend. Over the last decade, the tour has been highly regarded by locals and visitors.

“It’s such a great asset to our community,” said Anna Thill, President of Visit Mankato.

City leaders say the sculptures have transformed downtown streets into a vibrant and inviting landscape.

Tami Paulsen, Committee Chairperson of CityArt, mentioned, “I think public art and making the city feel more vibrant and alive has really helped spur redevelopment of downtown.”

The tour was founded with the goal of transforming Greater Mankato into an arts and cultural destination... one that rewards repeated visits.

Thill added, “The cool thing about this sculpture tour is that it’s fresh every year, so people have a reason to come back to the city center, check it out, and then go into our businesses while they’re in the area, right?”

Since it’s debut in 2011, the tour has displayed around $4 million in sculptures. 27 pieces have been made permanent to Greater Mankato’s public art collection, and 16 have been purchased by local businesses or individuals.

Paulsen stated, “Since it’s been so well received and we’ve received such great community support, business sponsorship, we have branched out into many different art forms including murals on various building walls, obviously the mural on the dike wall, we have traffic boxes that are decorated and designed by different artists, and then of course the silos.”

Area businesses are celebrating the anniversary. Free sculpture coloring books and crayons are available at any City Center business, Mankato Brewery is selling six packs of summer beer decorated with past pieces on the tour and Mankato libraries are hosting a bookmark decorating contest.

More information on this week’s festivities can be found here.

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