Will County Gazette

The City of Joliet is asking its residents to participate in a different kind of election this cycle and to cast their vote by Friday, August 9, 2024.

The vote centers around an art sculpture that will be placed in the newly designed City Square, a new 1.3-acre urban park being constructed directly across from the Rialto Square Theatre. The plans for the City Square were recently approved by the City Council, and the project is scheduled to begin construction later this summer and be completed by late 2025.

As part of this initiative, residents are invited to participate in selecting a centerpiece sculpture through a unique voting process.

The City of Joliet and the Joliet Arts Commission issued a national call for artists to submit proposals for a unique sculpture to be installed in the center of the proposed project. Initially, fifty artists submitted proposals for the sculpture. An internal review committee, comprising members from the Arts Commission and city staff, carefully evaluated these submissions based on criteria such as innovation, uniqueness, and visual impact. From this rigorous process, fourteen designs were selected as sub-finalists.

Ray Heitner, who serves as the staff liaison to the Arts Commission, clarified that the reduction in options was aimed at presenting residents with the best choices to vote on. “The internal review committee evaluated the submissions based on established criteria and narrowed the list,” stated Heitner. “Residents may now choose from the very best designs to get a finalist.”

Starting on Monday, July 22, 2024, residents can go to www.joliet.gov/citysquare/sculpture to cast a vote on their favorite sculpture design; online voting will end on Friday August 9th, 2024.

Residents may also vote in person at the downtown Joliet Public Library located at 150 N. Ottawa Street beginning Tuesday August 6th, Wednesday August 7th, and Thursday August 8th from 3 pm to 7 pm. Enlarged images of the sculpture proposals will be placed at the library for public viewing.

Following resident voting phase up to five finalists will be chosen to develop detailed conceptual proposals. These finalists will present their proposals to the Joliet Arts Commission at a special meeting in September. The Arts Commission will then recommend a final sculpture design to the Joliet City Council for approval by late 2024.

The allocated budget for the sculpture project covering design fabrication and installation is set at a maximum of $200000. This initiative not only aims to beautify City Square but also encourages community engagement and pride in shaping city's cultural landscape. For more information about project please visit City's website at joliet.gov.