Downtown Salina will be a flurry of arts activity during SculptureTour Salina's family friendly UNwrap Party Saturday.
The 19 sculptures, created by artists from around the country, will be simultaneously unwrapped at 11 a.m.
In addition to the unveiling, the 2021 merit awards, including Best of Show, will be announced at 1 p.m. Saturday in the plaza just north of As Astra Books and Coffeehouse.
"The SculptureTour exhibits just keep getting bigger and better every year," said Penny Bettles, SculptureTour Salina committee member. "The SculptureTour Salina 2021 exhibit will consist of 19 sculptures from 13 different artists traveling in from seven different states. Three of those artists are Kansans with one local Salinan."
Bettles said that SculptureTour 2021 will include the installation of the tour's largest sculpture.
"This piece, weighing in at nine tons, is being trucked in all the way from Eliot, Maine. The SculptureTour Salina committee has previously poured a deep concrete pad in front of The Temple and are excited to utilize this space with such a unique sculpture," she said.
Tour visitors are encouraged to pick up a walking tour/ballot at a number of downtown merchants or at the Visit Salina info trailer in the parking lot north of Ad Astra Books and Coffeehouse, 141 N. Santa Fe Avenue. Each year, the People's Choice Award is determined by viewers who complete a ballot through Dec. 31, 2021. The winning sculpture is purchased by the City of Salina and permanently placed where it can be enjoyed by the public.
READ: Piece by local artist is the 2020 People's Choice Award winner
Completed ballots turned in at the Visit Salina trailer during the UNwrap Party are eligible for prize drawings in several categories for children, teens, and adults.