A California artist won the Sculpture at the River Market commission competition Thursday night, earning her sculpture a spot at the western section of the park in downtown Little Rock.
The winning art proposal was Infinite Dance, a piece by Carol Gold that features a figure of a lone woman, arms outstretched, one foot raised, the other resting on an open-circle base. With the win, Gold will receive a $60,000 commission.
"I was overwhelmed by happiness," Gold said Thursday night, recalling the winning moment.
Gold has been at her craft some 50 years, running a foundry with a friend for 12 years. She has participated in the competition for a number of years.
It's "one of my favorite pieces," Gold said previously of her winning entry. "To me the circle implies infinity. And the woman dancing on top of the circle is just a graceful figure."
Gold thanked all those who voted for her and said the two other finalists are wonderful artists.
City Director Dean Kumpuris said more than 350 people voted in the competition.
"I think it will be a really fun and iconic piece," he said of the winning proposal.
Sculpture at the River Market is a nonprofit organization responsible for a collection of more than 90 pieces of public art, worth more than $4 million, in the Vogel Schwartz Sculpture Garden and other locations in the city.
Finalists in the competition had to prepare a presentation board of their art proposals.
The two other finalists were Coloradan Stephen Shachtman, last year's winner; and Giuseppe Palumbo, who works from studios in California and Colorado.
Metro on 04/27/2018