Artists Unveil Playful Works At Garden Party
May 16, 2008 | Leave a Comment
United Way sculpture display starts Monday
By MIKE MITCHELL mmitchell@scn1.com
Local artist Gigi Gentile created a frog on a throne “because as a single gal, I’m hoping for a magic kiss to turn someone into a prince.”
The Naperville United Way is hoping for some magic of its own as it unveiled 39 of its fiberglass sculptures Thursday at Edward Hospital for this year’s Garden Party - an outdoor display that is expected to raise about $100,000 this summer.
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The Naperville United Way is hoping for some magic of its own as it unveiled 39 of its fiberglass sculptures Thursday at Edward Hospital for this year’s Garden Party. (Jonathan Miano / Staff photographer) |
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Carolyn Finzer shows mayor George Pradel her sculpture. (Jonathan Miano/STNG) |
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Jack Gunderson takes a photo of his dad, artist Bart Gunderson, and his sister Abby Gunderson, background, in front of a butterfly sculpture Bart painted. (Jonathan Miano/STNG) |
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Victor plays on a frog sculpture. (Jonathan Miano/STNG) |
“We don’t believe this year will necessary have more people participating because of the popularity in previous years. Certainly, this is now a part of Naperville, and it’s a great part of Naperville, but we don’t expect it to be significantly more,” said Deb Rigdon, co-chair of the event. “With the economy going the way it is, some of our building and construction sponsors may have not been able to help the way they have in the past. But that doesn’t mean we’re not going to reach our goals.”
Gentile, of Lombard, designed three pieces of art for this year’s outdoor event that will begin Monday and conclude with an auction and dinner Sept. 12 at Bobak’s Signature Events in Woodridge.
Her favorite work is a frog shaped like a seat. It has a throne-like image painted on the front of the fiberglass sculpture and a village painted on the back. It is one of the many items people can bid on online to raise money for the Naperville charity that will be in flux until the group merges with the DuPage Area group this October.
The art again will be placed throughout downtown Naperville this summer. For this year’s fundraiser, the Naperville United Way will have giant butterflies (birdbaths), dragonflies (benches), oversized frogs (chairs) and gigantic ladybugs (playhouses). Joining them will be wooden garden carts also decorated by local artists.
Gentile designed a cart with cats painted on the side of the wooden barrels.
“I spend about a day doing this piece,” she said. “These were a good idea because you had a lot of room for creativity.”
The sculptures will go on display Monday. Many of them will be propped in front of local businesses with children playing, climbing and interacting with them.
“It’s going to be a part of it,” said Maureen Baier, co-chair of the event, when asked about the popularity of the pieces being accessible to children. “It’s a part of our downtown now.”
But Baier wasn’t sure if more outdoor art exhibits would take place in the downtown area.
“We just don’t know at this point,” she said. “We do know this is for a good cause and should continue to be a good way to help our community.”
Garden Party Keeps Growing
April 29, 2008 | Leave a Comment
Sun staffWhat’s a garden party without the garden? Naperville United Way’s annual fundraising event already features giant butterflies (birdbath), dragonflies (benches), oversized frogs (chairs) and gigantic ladybugs (playhouses). Joining them will be wooden garden carts.
But the wheelbarrow-like carts need “gardeners,” or sponsors, to tend to them just like the about 40 fiberglass sculptures that will adorn downtown Naperville this summer.
The sponsorship fee is $150 and includes an artist to assist in decorating the cart, which is 51 inches long by 16 inches wide by 16 inches tall. Sponsors will be required to fill their carts with about $500 worth of merchandise.
A limited number of carts are available for sponsorship. The garden carts will be on display throughout the summer event. All garden carts along with merchandise will be included in the Garden Party auction Sept. 14. Proceeds from the auction benefit Naperville United Way.
Call 630-369-2676.
‘Garden Party’ Guests Named
January 24, 2008 | 1 Comment
Custom-designed sculptures unveiled for United Way event
By KATE R. HOULIHAN ? Staff writer
It’s official - three unique insects and one amphibian will be in attendance at this summer’s Naperville United Way “Garden Party.”
Chief professional officer Susan Fritz unveiled the four designs Wednesday morning to The Sun. Sitting at the highest sponsor level is what Fritz calls a “very practical” ladybug playhouse. Five of the 5-foot-by-5-foot objects will be available.
| Ladybug playhouse |  |
| Dragonfly bench |  |
| Butterfly birdbath |  |
| Frog chair |  |
Also on the docket is a dragonfly garden bench, made up of a pair of dragonflies with outstretched wings to form the back of the seat, and cattails holding up the chair.
“I think these will be super popular,” Fritz said.
Rounding out the selections are frog chairs
featuring an amphibian whose neck is stretched to the sky, with a tongue reaching out to catch a fly, and a butterfly birdbath with the butterfly sitting on a large daisy with wings stretched up in a V-shape.
“It will catch water in the daisy and the wings will be the focal point,” she said.
All pieces that will adorn the downtown and Riverwalk this summer are custom-designed for Naperville, a first, Fritz said. Different sponsorship levels for the sculptures are available, with the ladybug playhouses at the highest level, followed by gold, silver and bronze classifications. Fritz said sponsor packets will likely be available by Friday.
Come the second Friday in September, the United Way will auction off the sculptures with all proceeds benefiting the organization. Last year’s selection of seahorses, mermaids, dolphins and sea turtles netted more than $100,000.
“I just think these pieces are stunning,” Fritz said about the new sculptures. “I think they’ll be popular, these pieces. We built them to be functional.”
Contact Kate Houlihan at khoulihan@scn1.com or 630-416-5224.
Summer United Way Fundraiser Gets ‘Buggy’
January 18, 2008 | 3 Comments
“Ugly Bug Ball” this will not be.
By KATE R. HOULIHAN Staff writer
Burl Ives belted out that tune in the 1963 movie “Summer Magic” as a way to show beauty is in the eye of the beholder. And come summer, there will be no shortage of beautiful insects downtown thanks to the “garden party” theme of the Naperville United Way’s annual sculpture fundraiser and outdoor art display.
“We’re looking at incorporating these bugs into a bench or chair,” said Susan Fritz, Naperville United Way chief professional officer. “A dragonfly may look like a garden bench with the wings stretched out to form the back, a ladybug may look like a playhouse and a frog may look like a garden chair. We might have a butterfly with large wings. We’re looking at an idea of possibly a garden cart.”
Form and function combined with the fanciful has become an important aspect in deciding what type of Fiberglass sculptures to place along the Riverwalk and throughout downtown. All sculptures are auctioned off in September.
“We’re trying to incorporate the practical with the fun,” Fritz said. “We really need to keep in mind what works with auction. We wanted to go a bit more sophisticated, but we still wanted to have some whimsy to it, because that’s what drives people and families downtown to see them.”
Fritz said the big bugs will work well for people who want to incorporate them into their gardens. In addition, they’re aiming for pieces that offer ample canvas room for artistic expression.
Final details will be known when a committee examines design drawings from Chicago-based Cowpainters and narrows the selection next week. Fritz said two new co-chairs, Debbie Rigdon and Maureen Baier, are heading the charge this year, and she said their experience organizing the annual Little Friends Inc. auction should help.
Last year’s splashy symphony of water-themed creatures drew more than $100,000 when all was said and done.
Fritz believes the unique designs at this year’s garden gala will be “phenomenally successful.”
“We’ve gotten wonderfully creative, outstanding pieces,” she said.
Contact Kate Houlihan at khoulihan@scn1.com or 630-416-5224
Share sculpture ideas with United Way
November 23, 2007 | Leave a Comment
Share sculpture ideas with United WayNovember 23, 2007
By KATE R. HOULIHAN Staff Writer
Do you dream of seeing the downtown and Riverwalk filled with a certain type of outdoor sculpture next summer? If so, the Naperville United Way wants to hear your idea.
Until Dec. 7, the organization will be accepting ideas from members of the community for the 2008 summer outdoor sculpture exhibit and fundraising event, according to Naperville United Way assistant director Deena Manna.
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The United Way chose a “farmyard friends” theme for its fundraising statues in 2004. |
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Dragons were the sculpture of the year in 2006. |
IDEAS WANTED
People with ideas for the next downtown sculptures can e-mail dmanna@uw-mc.org or fax a description to 630-369-5492. No phone calls, please. Ideas already used in past years: mermaids, seahorses, sea turtles, dolphins, dragons, baby giraffes, carousel horses, bears, farm animals, mushroom playhouses, fairy-topped benches, birdbaths, lotus blossoms and giant urns.
Last summer visitors downtown were surrounded by a sea-creature splashed landscape with the group’s “Under the Sea” theme. Past sculpture creations also have included dragons, baby giraffes, carousel horses, bears, farm animals, mushroom playhouses, fairy-topped benches, birdbaths, lotus blossoms and giant urns. Sculptures remain in the downtown area from early summer through the beginning of September, before they are sent to new homes after a live auction. Proceeds benefit the Naperville United Way.
“They can just tell us what (the idea) is, and maybe describe what type of different sculptures would be part of it,” Manna said. “So, if there’s a theme, tell us what kind of objects would be associated with it.”
People with ideas can e-mail Manna at dmanna@uw-mc.org or fax a description to 630-369-5492. Manna asked that people not call with ideas.
Dec. 7 is the cut-off date, as the sculptures will need to be created in the not-too-far future before being sent to Naperville and decorated by local artists.
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