Castlegar Sculpturewalk will be closing out 2023 with a blazing Night of Fire.
Previous Sculpturewalk People's Choice winners Spring Shine, Christopher Petersen and Yvonne Boyd will once again create a massive wooden sculpture which will go up in celebratory flames on Friday, Dec. 6 at 6 p.m. at the Geronazzo Pit at Millennium Park (near the dog park parking lot).
The free, family-friendly event will kick off with seasonal holiday tunes from the Brass Carolers followed by the presentation of Sculpturewalk's 2024 awards.
The People’s Choice Award, voted on by the people, will take home a cash prize of $2000 and will have their sculpture purchased by the City of Castlegar for the community’s permanent collection. Additional cash prizes of $1000 (second place) and $500 (third place) will be awarded in the People’s Choice category. The Artistic Merit category is adjudicated by a jury of artist peers, with the top award receiving $2000, $1000 for second place, and $500 for third.
New to this year's event is a sculpture raffle. The artists have created a sculpture that will only be revealed once the large sculpture is burned. With a value of $500, tickets will be available on-site only for purchase: 5 for $10 or 10 for $20.
The winner will be announced once the burn is complete, so ticket purchasers will need to stay around for the announcement. Proceeds from the raffle go to the artists to cover their costs, and then to Castlegar Sculpturewalk to go into the general operating budget.