Remember our coverage of the 2018 Florida Outdoor Sculpture Competition? Well, it’s time to feature a new year of new talent in Lakeland.

This year’s exhibit features ten sculptures along Lemon Street in Downtown Lakeland, chosen from a selection of over 60 submissions by a jury of city staff, Polk Museum of Art representatives, and members of the local arts community.

Now the choice is yours. You can vote for the 2019 Florida Outdoor Sculpture Competition’s People’s Choice Award (to receive $1,000) by looking through the photos of each sculpture and liking your favorite. 👍 Then, share the album with your friends. Voting ends May 17.

For a little debrief, here’s how the art is picked + funded:

First, artists interested in showcasing their art submit their best piece. Then, a jury gathers to review the pieces and selects the top 10 to be displayed along Lemon Street. The Lemon Street Sculpture project is a part of the Parks & Recreation budget. Each artist chosen receives a $1,500 honorarium, which they use for transportation + installation costs. Sometimes, with the bigger pieces, even a crane is made available through Lakeland Electric.

If you’re feeling up to it, you can wander the three blocks between South Florida + Massachusetts Avenue and get a visual tour of the FLOSC exhibit. There’s also a walking map available. And, if you’re feeling extra educational, you can learn about the artists here.

– LALtoday team (Jessica, Kaylee, Mackenzie + Cassie)