Sculpture Walk Railside enlightens the artistic scene

From kids to cranes, and even airplanes, Sculpture Walk Railside has plenty to see.

One of six outstate locations across Nebraska, taking a stroll through downtown Grand Island allows for all of those sights.

The Railside district houses numerous sculptures, and anyone who wishes to see and learn more about an artist, or their vision, can do so with their phone.

"It will have audio messages from each of the artists about their art," said Dana Jelinek with Grand Island Tourism and a Sculpture Walk Railside committee member. "It can move you through the sculpture walk, so if you start at one point, you can see where all the sculptures are, and as you walk by an area where there is a sculpture, your app will indicate to you, you're near one."

Grand Island is the state's second city to be a member of Sculpture Walk Across Nebraska (SWAN), an art initiative selecting 53 pieces to be displayed.

The six SWAN communities chose from 125 submissions before holding a "draft" to select which pieces they wanted for their respective cities. Then the negotiations begin after sending contracts out to the artists.

"If all goes right, we will be able to use commissions for growth and donations for each year’s expenses,” said Jelinek.

Railside expects to welcome 13 new sculptures in April, replacing the ones currently on display. Unless, of course, someone decides to make a purchase.

“The ultimate goal for any artist is to sell their art. When one of our Sculpture Walk Railside sculptures sells, we retain 25% of the purchase price as a commission, but it’s not something that happens each year," said Sculpture Walk Railside committee member, Tom Ziller.