May 25 and 26 were designated as set-up days for Castlegar SculptureWalk 2012. The downtown was abuzz with excited, creative energy as the 30 artworks were put in their own special spots from which to be observed and enjoyed over the coming months.
One of the artists is Douglas Walker of Black Creek, BC (on Vancouver Island between Courtenay and Campbell River). He described how he became involved in the SculptureWalk.
"We were delivering a sculpture to Nelson," he related on Saturday morning. "A couple of lovely ladies bought it. They told me about the SculptureWalk in Castlegar. They said 'You've got to put something in it.' So I started thinking about it."Walker went through the application process, and was successful.
Like all of the artists spoken with during the set -up, he was very pleased to be part of the event, an event of the type that's apparently not too common in Canada.
"Just off hand," said Walker, "the only other one I can think of is a private sculpture competition in New Brunswick... St. Andrews by the Sea. Kingsborough Gardens has a sculpture competition... not quite on par with this one. This a pretty big deal in Canada. Down in the 'States there's all kinds of shows like this. But it's rare that we find an event like this in a place the size of Castlegar. It's really impressive."
Saturday was also the occasion when a couple of well-loved artworks from last year's SculptureWalk – "Linotype Wapiti" and "Peace Sign" were transferred to their new homes, where they will act as artistic ambassadors at the West Kootenay Regional (Castegar) Airport