 
Above: Two of the statues from the "Sculpture in the Streets" exhibit this summer. (Picture 1: "Investing in Instincts," from the Lansing State Journal; Picture 2, "Ambassador of the Streets" with a local, from Noise)
Albright had actually gotten his wish for "more Norman Rockwell" art in 2001. Business leaders from the city's Principal Shopping District, who have been trying to draw people back to downtown since the 1970’s, believe that they have found an answer. It is an art exhibit called "Sculpture in the Streets." The sculptures in question are twenty "bronze people" going about their daily business. J. Seward Johnson created them, and they can be rented from The Sculpture Foundation. (Three other cities are also participating in Seward exhibits around the country.)
If you ask the PSD, they will tell you that the "exhibit" has been very successful. This is the second year in a row that they have brought them here for the summer. Paula Stoeke, Sculpture Foundation curator, said that she has gotten a lot of positive feedback from visitors here in Lansing. She says, "Lansing has a wonderful community of arts appreciators. This is artwork; this is not decor. It's not accessories for a city."
If you ask residents, however, the reaction isn't quite as expected. We have been staring at these, wondering if they're really artistic or not. Many find them "creepy." Others find them "whitebread." Local artists wonder why the PSD couldn’t be bothered to at least include some of their works along with the statues. By far, the most telling statement is from Leanne Stites, PSD executive director, "The Principal Shopping District is not in the business of doing art shows. I call it Disneyland Art. It's not real art in the sense we think of fine art. It's whimsical. It's realistic. That's why we find it so popular."
Source:
"Freaks in the Streets." Carla Kucinski, Noise (June 18, 2003)
9:37:32 PM 
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