The Bainbridge Island community has a chance to give a gift to an artist. It’s the season for gifting, right? And if you’re willing, you have a key part to play.

“Something New” — the rotating sculpture exhibition brought to you by Arts & Humanities Bainbridge (AHB) and the City of Bainbridge Island (COBI) — debuted in 2018, bringing new art pieces annually to outdoor locations in Winslow. Early next year, one of the two sculptures in this year’s program will be awarded the People’s Choice Award. You are the people, and the artist of the chosen piece will receive a $1,000 award. We ask you to visit both sculptures and vote for the one you like the most. It’s so easy. All you need to do is vote online or in person by December 31, 2019.

This year’s sculptures were introduced at the First Friday Art Walk in August.

“Stargazer” is a dark bronze piece sited on the sidewalk area at Winslow Way and Ericksen Avenue, near Town & Country Market. Artist Timm Duffy of Shelton, WA, created the slightly slumping man with his head raised up. The inspiration for the sculpture was Duffy’s neighbor, a former oil rig roughneck. Duffy noticed that nearly every evening the neighbor would shuffle to the edge of his property to gaze up at the night sky.

“Daphne” is a bright, florescent green sculpture that fills Madison Plaza with its gestural flamboyance. It’s located next to Doc’s Marina Grill at the southern end of Madison Avenue. Sculptor Karsten Boysen of Port Orchard, WA, creates his work from discarded building materials, such as galvanized culverts. Boysen re-forms pieces, welds them together and paints them to make his artwork. Boysen’s “Daphne” is indeed modeled after the mythical Greek goddess of the same name pursued by the god Apollo.

Both artists have worked in the arts for over 40 years each. They have brought us their considered artistic experiences rendered in their own mature styles. You can watch the beautiful videos of Duffy and Boysen made by Mike Seidl and Ron Stewart, both members of the Public Art Committee, to learn about each sculptor’s background and their specific work of art that graces our town this year.  

To make your choice known, you can vote online by simply clicking vote or vote on paper. Ballots may be cast online or in person; paper ballots can be found and submitted at the office of Arts & Humanities Bainbridge in the Marge Williams Center, at Bainbridge Island City Hall, or at the Bainbridge Island Chamber of Commerce.

The People’s Choice Award will be meaningful and valued by either of them. By voting for your favorite sculpture, you can make a stronger community-informed choice and help bestow a well-earned gift to an artist.

If you really like one of the sculptures, you can gift in other ways. All sculptures in the “Something New” program are always for sale. You can purchase your favorite to adorn your home or potentially gift it to Arts & Humanities Bainbridge, a nonprofit organization, for the city’s Public Art Collection. This last possibility is a little more complicated. All artwork offered to the city’s art collection must be approved beforehand by the Public Art Committee. If either of these purchase ideas appeals to you, please call the AHB office.

ABOUT BILL BARAN-MICKLE:Recently, Bill has enjoyed exhibiting in several international art biennial exhibitions. Of the three in which he has participated, he won Third Place for Sculpture from the European Confederation of Art Critics in the Chianciamo Biennale, at the Chianciano Art Museum in Italy in 2011, and First Place in Applied Arts in the London Biennale of 2013. In 2013 alone, he will have participated in eight exhibitions: from London to a two-person exhibition near home. In addition, Bill was asked to be a representative for CCAC’s exhibition celebrating 100 years of the Metals Department, and a mix of group shows in New York City, Miami, Seattle and Las Vegas. Bill is the designer of the 10 foot Equitorial Bowstring Sundial located at the Richie Observatory in Battle Point Park on Bainbridge Island, WA and completed in 2015.