Outdoor sculptures coming to Sebring

Jan. 24--SEBRING -- When Craig Berube-Gray's outdoor sculpture comes to Sebring in March, viewers might get hungry.

Berube-Gray, who move to Key West from Maine six months ago, wanted to create a sculpture that has a connection to Florida. So he did research that led to a sculpture connecting to the citrus industry. He said he believes "there's been no one who does sculptures of slices of oranges," he said.

His sculpture, titled "Slices of Heaven," made of concrete combined with limestone, will come along with five other sculptures to downtown Sebring no later than March 7 and stay for a year.

Casey Wohl, who does marketing for the Sebring Community Redevelopment Agency, said recommendations had been made that sculptures would be good for green areas at Centennial Park. She said Linda Kegley, a local artist, provided information regarding the Florida Outdoor Sculpture Competition, held for the past 14 years by the Polk Museum of Art.

Wohl said she contacted the museum and as a result, the six sculptures will be coming to Sebring. The cities of Lakeland and Winter Haven also will have sculptures.

The CRA will pay around $7,000 to obtain the sculptures, including fees and insurance costs, she said.

The other five sculptures will be:

"The Three Graces," by Hanna Jubrand of Grimesland, N.C., is made of steel, coated iron and paint, will be housed at Centennial Park.

"Bealtime," by Aisling Millar of Greenville, N.C., is made of steel and will be housed at Highlands Art League/Cultural Center.

"Winged Glory" by Jack Howard-Potter of New York City, is made of galvanized, powdered coated steel, will he housed at Circle Park.

"Father and Son," by Adam Walls of Hope Mills, N.C., is made of painted steel, and will be housed near Rotary Park.

"Iron Horses," by Karyn Adamek of Lutz, is made with recycled metal and will be at Centennial Park.

Berube-Gray, whose sculpture will be near the Highlands Art League building, said the limestone in his exhibit is present in the ground where the citrus trees grow.

The sculpture will be very strong to the point where someone could jump on it and not cause damage, he said.

Howard-Potter said his sculpture is part of a series of pieces of art dealing with wings, that are often used to illustrate tradition, justice and liberty.

The sculpture shows a "seated figure in a quiet moment" between two wings, he said.

Howard-Potter said he does drawings in advance of making sculptures, but one of the most important steps is to get an image of what he wants to see in his mind.

Sandra Horan, public relations manager for the Polk County museum, said 19 artists submitted 50 entries into the competition.

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