WILMINGTON, Vt. – As part of a long-term effort to promote visual art in Wilmington, and help in the redevelopment of the Beaver Street neighborhood, Wilmington Works is taking the final steps to complete the Beaver Street Art Project, begun in 2018.
The local community voted a little over a year ago to select a flat metal sculpture in Corten Steel, designed by Junker Studio of Chester, Vt., as the winning proposal for the retaining wall by the Richards Group at 27 East Main Street in Wilmington.
This beautiful work will be a crowning career piece for the Chester, Vt. couple Payne and Elise Junker. Wilmington holds a special place in their heart because it is where the couple met at a craft fair over 30 years ago.
The public is now invited to join in supporting the project through July 20 by bidding in an online fine art auction and purchasing raffle tickets to help Wilmington Works fulfill the funding needed for the project.
Junker Studio has donated two of their signature corten steel garden sculptures – a moose and a bear – that would be a terrific addition to any local property. Deerfield Valley artists including Jim McGrath, Aysha Peltz, Ann Coleman, Karen Wheeler, Jen Violette, Haley Frano, and Nancy Libby are joining Junker Studio in donating their works for auction.
Works for sale will be on display at the Southern Vermont Deerfield Valley Chamber, 21 W. Main Street in Wilmington, during the auction. In addition to art, there are raffle tickets for sale for non-art prizes donated by local businesses.
The project has received funding from the Vermont Arts Council, the Better Places Grant program, the Rotary Club of the Deerfield Valley, Stevens and Associates, and The Richards Group in addition to support from the local community.
For more information on the project, and for a link to the auction site, visit www.beaverstreetart.com.