Fundraiser ‘Clowning Around Town’
For anyone who thought the statue called “Unconditional Surrender,” capturing the famous World War II photo of a passionate kiss between a sailor and a nurse, was a traffic stopper, imagine the same scene with one exception – the couple smooching are clowns.
When Sarasota artist Robert Lovejoy was selected to paint a fiberglass clown statue for the “Clowning Around Town” public art fundraiser benefiting the TideWell Hospice and Palliative Care’s children services program, he was determined to capture the humor of circus clowns.
“I wanted to come up with something that was amusing, that I could have a little fun with, because isn’t that really what clowns are all about?” Lovejoy said. “And I came up with the idea of recreating that image because I thought it would be humorous.”
About 50 life-size clown statues painted by area artists will be on display in downtown Sarasota along Main Street and Central Avenue, beginning Oct. 1. The statues will remain downtown through April until they are scheduled to be auctioned off at Marie Selby Botanical Gardens on May 12.
Money raised at the auction will help fund programs that care for pediatric patients with advanced illnesses and provide grief counseling to children who have lost loved ones, said David Glaser, the director of public relations for TideWell Hospice and Palliative Care.
“The program also has clown volunteers who undergo special training and instruction and visit about 200 patients every month,” Glaser said. “So we organized this event last year because we thought it was a great way to raise money, but also to pay tribute to Sarasota’s long history and heritage with the circus.”
TideWell Hospice is offering a sneak preview of its “Clowning Around Town” public art event from 7-10 p.m. Friday at the Van Wezel Performing Arts Center.
Before the clowns were shipped off to receive a protective coating that will shield the statues from graffiti and harsh weather conditions, Glaser got a chance to see a few of the completed art works.
“They are unbelievable,” Glaser said. “The artists have really taken ownership of the clowns. Many of them have even named them and have created a whole story around them by repositioning their bodies and adding different elements to the original male and females statues we provided them.”
Joshua and Andrea Kreithen, physicians at Lakewood Ranch Plastic Surgery, are also artists who painted a clown statue sponsored by Premier Properties of Southwest Florida in Sarasota.
With their clown statue, the Kreithens said they tried to capture the essence of Florida by including images of tropical plants, palm trees and regional butterflies.
“All of the butterflies that are on the base of the statue are Florida butterflies,” Andrea Kreithen said. “But the butterfly sitting in his hand is actually the African clown butterfly. I thought that was appropriate.”
The Kreithens began painting together more than five years ago while living in Gainesville.
“When my husband was training for his plastic and reconstructive program in Gainesville, whenever he would have a break, he would do a painting,” Andrea Kreithen said. “Eventually, I was like, ‘Hey, what are you doing over there? Why don’t we do something together and you can show me how to paint.’ ”
Joshua Kreithen said the couple makes a great team and they were involved with painting a gecko for Bradenton’s GeckoFest 2006, a fundraiser for the Artists Guild of Manatee Inc.
“That was a great experience, and this clown was a lot of fun, too,” Joshua Kreithen said. “We were actually sad to give it up.”
Andrea Kreithen said she will be interested to see the public’s reaction to the six-foot statues after the clowns caused a bit of a controversy last year when some individuals who fear clowns objected to TideWell Hospice’s proposal.
But Lovejoy believes most people will be filled with joy when they see the colorful clowns.
“No one is saying it’s high art,” Lovejoy said, laughing. “It’s just a bit of fun for a good cause.”
More Nonprofit Auction Fundraisers
More Fundraising Ideas
No tags for this post.