Submitted by Castlegar Sculpturewalk
Steppin’ Out, a monumental, magical sculpture by Argenta artists Spring Shine, Christopher Petersen and Yvonne Boyd, has won the coveted Sculpturewalk 2020 People’s Choice Award.
This sculpture, which captured the public’s imagination and vote, will now permanently reside in Castlegar, joining the city’s renowned permanent public art collection.
The talented trio from Argenta – now known as The Koots Art Collective — took home 2018’s People’s Choice Award with their large wood spirit The Keeper, now located near Millennium Park. Since then, they have grown their family of these larger-than-life mythical creatures, known as “Koots”, who are hidden throughout the Kootenays, from Kaslo to Meadow Creek and Slocan, with Castlegar their first home.
Steppin’ Out displays their talents on a grand scale, with more than a touch of the mystical. The sculpture features three Dryads (tree spirits), shown in various stages of revelation. The towering concrete figures emerge from cedar trunks set in steel (rebar) stumps, topped with rusted metal crowns. The artists fuse these various mediums flawlessly, with their creativity always a source of wonder and delight.
2020 Sculpturewalk award winners:
People’s Choice Winner: Steppin’ Out by Spring Shine, Christopher Petersen, Yvonne Boyd (Argenta)
Runner-up: Carbon Key by Kate Tupper (Nakusp)
Third place (tie): Salmon Dance by Peter Vogelaar (Winlaw) and Stumped by Steve Milroy (Victoria)
Artistic Merit Winner: Janus by David Hunwick (Victoria)
Runner-up: Reflect and Connect by Bill Frymire (Kamloops)
Third Place (tie): Carbon Key by Kate Tupper (Nakusp) and Listen by Stephanie Robicheau (Nelson)
betsy.kline@castlegarnews.com
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