Hey friends, Kaylee here. 👋 Early #tbt to the time I basically had a panic attack thinking the floating statue in Munn Park was a man literally falling out of the sky. 🐥 Or, when a friend forgot her glasses and mistook the mural outside the Main Street Diner to be an actual window. (In all fairness to her, it’s pretty identical to the real deal.)

Sensing a theme?

We have some pretty great (not to mention, realistic) public artwork here in LALcity and a lot of it.

So who’s responsible for all this art?

There are several organizations that work with the City of Lakeland who have a high level of influence in public art installations and exhibits. Some of these include: Polk Museum of Art, Platform Art + Polk Arts Alliance.

What you need to know about them: They all work together in making our beautiful city even more breathtaking. Don’t believe me? Here are some examples from one of my favorite exhibits, The Florida Outdoor Sculpture Competition on Lemon Street Promenade, an annual sculpture competition that’s composed of 10 awe-inspiring sculptures.

Told you, awe-inspiring.

So out of all the talent we have in Florida, how did we pick the art + artists in the Lemon Street exhibit?

First, different artists interested in showcasing their art submit their best piece. Then, a jury of Lakeland City staff, Polk Museum of Art representatives + members from the local arts community gather to review the pieces of art (Last year, a total 30 artists submitted 65 sculptures). Finally, the “jury,” as they’re so dubbed, pick 10 of the very best to be displayed along Lemon Street.

But a splash of color here, a stroke of paint there can really add up can’t it? You might even be asking yourself the same question I did.

How does all this art get funded?

Specifically, The Lemon Street Sculpture project is a part of the Parks & Recreation Budget. Each artist chosen receives a $1,500 honorarium which they use in both getting their pieces to Lakeland + for the installation costs. Sometimes with the bigger pieces, even a crane is made available through Lakeland Electric.

The “People’s Choice” also awards $1,000 to the fan favorite artist. The City bases this off of the count of “reactions” on photographs of each sculpture in an album on the City of Lakeland’s Facebook page.

Where can you find each specific sculpture?

If you’re more of the adventurous type, literally just go wander down Lemon Street, and you’ll find them quickly. For those who like to plan ahead, check out the City of Lakeland’s handy walking map + thank me later. Or, pro tip: download the app called Otocast for more information on the artists as they describe their pieces. (Don’t forget to enable GPS).

Art is to Lakeland what Kanye is to Kim (on their good days), so obviously we have much more art in public spaces surrounding the 863. Veterans Park alone is home to some interesting pieces + we can claim our very own Albert Paley sculpture right on Lake Mirror.

So my fellow LALers, impress the squad with your newfound knowledge of Lemon Street and about the process of what it can take for different sculptures to find their home in Lakeland. (Because let’s face it, you’re totally the intellectual of your group). Most importantly though, enjoy yourself. The art is there for you. 💛

Stay zesty my friends,

- Kaylee