Purchase & Lease

All CityArt sculptures are available for purchase or lease apart from the People’s Choice Award, which is announced each November and purchased by the CityArt program for permanent installation in the City Center. Each sale or lease helps attract new artists to the program and helps sustain CityArt with 75% of each sale going directly to the artist and 25% staying within the CityArt program.

Purchase Program

Each sculpture’s price is listed on its tour page and in the annual tour brochure. The cost does not include the pedestal or installation. Payment plans are available. CityArt provides free delivery for purchased sculptures.

Lease Program

Sculptures are also available for lease. The lessee can choose a sculpture from the tour and display for one year or multiple years (depending on availability). The price of the lease is $1,000 + .075% of the total price of the sculpture.

Example: Sculpture price is $15,000.
Lease would be: $1,000 + ($15,000 x .075) = $2,125/year

A Lease to Purchase option is also available for $2,000 per year for sculptures priced under $10,000. Lease to Purchase terms for sculptures over $10,000 can be negotiated. The cost for leasing a sculpture does not include the base or installation. Lessee’s are responsible for maintaining insurance on their leased sculpture.

For more information on purchasing or leasing a sculpture, please contact Wyatt Miller at wyatt@twinriversarts.org or call 507-508-7165.

Stories of CityArt Sculpture Purchases

Dawn M. Ulrich-Spitzer:

I have been an active participant and committee member of the CityArt Sculpture Tour for many years. I have been waiting to purchase just the right sculpture that spoke to me visually and emotionally. The 2016-2017 piece entitled “Minnesota Nice” by John M. Hughes was the sculpture that I decided to purchase.

Mr. Hughes’ artist statement was intriguing.  The artist wrote “The sculpture was inspired by the winter of 2013-2014, working construction on the edge of the Lake of the Woods in Warroad, Minnesota.  I thought at any moment, I would see penguins arriving on vacation saying “Minnesota Nice”

I grew up in northern Minnesota and have always loved the winter season.  I am into skiing, both cross-country and downhill, snowshoeing, and dog sledding.  Although, penguins live only in the southern hemisphere,  I have had a connection to them since I was in fifth grade.  I love the cold and I love to swim and believe that I was once a penguin in a previous life.  Mr. Hughes captured my heart with not only his vision of the large penguin, but also a “Minnesota Nice” Penguin.  His vision and his ability to take items similar to what is in my basement and garage and sculpt a piece of art, was incredible.  I love my penguin sculpture as it adorns the outside of my entryway of my home and welcomes friends, family, and the UPS/FedEx truck.

For your information, it is very easy to either lease or purchase a CityArt Sculpture as any interested person may contact either Noelle Lawton, director of Twin Rivers Arts, Megan Flanagan, City Center Mankato, or any of the CityArt Sculpture Walk committee members listed on the webpage.  A contract is written up for the piece, a small amount of money is put down to hold the sculpture, and the balance is due when the sculptures are replaced for the year.  It is a very simple process and it is wonderful to have a piece of art that has been involved in the CityArt Sculpture Tour.

Dr. Stephen and Marti Penkhus:

Marti and I have a longtime interest in the arts and are so pleased at the addition of the CityArt Walking Sculpture Tour to our community. We enjoyed seeing other sculptures being purchased and added to our city’s permanent collection and thought this would be a good idea as a memorial to our daughter. The Mankato Clinic was finishing their new Children’s Health Center and were considering a permanent place to install the sculpture, Catching the Wind. The interior courtyard of the new pediatric center is the perfect setting for the sculpture which features a young girl playing with a kite and looking up into the sky – the movement of the piece showing play and hope. The piece is charming, playful and uplifting, and an ideal memorial for our family.

 

 

 

Richard O’Brien:

Rich O’Brien is the proud owner of the sculpture Geronimo from the 2018 Walking Sculpture Tour. Rich was compelled to purchase the artwork for two reasons: 1) He has a passion for Native American history and culture, and 2) He has a passion for people. The carved Colorado Yule Marble, of which the sculpture is carved, reminds him of a dear friend, now gone, who introduced him to the stone. Geronimo is a beautiful visual reminder of their friendship.

 

 

 

 

 

Denny Dotson:

We have been luck enough to purchase two of the CityArt Mankato sculptures. The first was Going Home, which tells the story of life beyond life and love beyond love. Having given all in service of his country, the soldier is borne triumphantly to his eternal reward. It was impossible not to connect emotionally to this piece. This one is at the Dotson Iron Casting office and supports our commitment to those who serve. The second was the three penguins deep in conversation called The News. Interesting, but then you really connect with a big smile when you look down and see that the penguins have human feet. Located in our yard, it is a delight to watch the enjoyment of our friends when they finally see the feet. I love that Mankato is doing the Art Walk. When purchasing a piece that connects personally it also supports the community and helps make sure that the CityArt walk continues in future years.

 

Caroline R. Wood:

Check Up is art that portrays the bond of people and their pets. Their care and attention for each other was what I enjoyed most about the boy with his stethoscope getting a kiss from his puppy. Check Up has been donated to the charity PetsLoyal2Vets, which places service dogs with disabled veterans with PTSD or TBI in Minnesota. My own service dog was instrumental to my transition from the Air Force to civilian life. It was a gift to share that message of hope and inspiration with my fellow veterans and to support the artist and the CityArt program.