A metal sculpture by Goshen artist Sunday Mahaja is positioned along Buffalo Street, just south of Center Street in downtown Warsaw. It is one of nine displays. InkFreeNews photos by Dan Spalding.

By Liz Shepherd
InkFreeNews

WARSAW — Student art is being spotlighted in downtown Warsaw through a temporary public art installation.

Through a project coordinated by the Warsaw Public Arts Commission, the art will be on display through Oct. 15.

There are a total of nine art pieces created by three student artists: Abigail Smith, Chelsea Waltermire, and Sunday Mahaja.

“We did a call-out for artists to area colleges,” said Suzie Light, president of the Warsaw Public Arts Commission. “We wanted this to be an opportunity for emerging artists to display their work.”

WPAC sent the call-out to six local colleges, including Grace College and Manchester University. The plan to display student art in downtown Warsaw has been in the works since August 2021.

Smith, a visual communication design major at Purdue University, created four temporary murals featuring Warsaw landmarks and a sculpture titled “Fractured.” The four murals are categorized together as one art piece.

Waltermire, an art major at Manchester University, created a flowers and lattice project. The work is outside of Brooch Boutique in Warsaw.

Mahaja, a Goshen College graduate specializing in metal sculptures, created six pieces: “The Proposal,” “The Arrival,” “Spring Dancer,” “Royal Highness,” “Lake House in Nebraska,” and “Sunflower Tree.”

“We are delighted that the artists responded and they have exceeded the commission’s expectations,” said Light. “They really blew it out of the park.”

QR codes will be on plaques near each piece. Scanning the codes will provide more information on the artist and the work. Artworks will also be listed on the county’s “All Things Art” map.

Both Wulthermire and Smith will participate in a meet-and-greet at Warsaw’s upcoming First Friday event on July 1.

“It gives kids and young students who are interested in art the opportunity to talk to somebody who is pursuing their dreams of being an artist,” said Light. “This would be a great opportunity for parents to bring their budding artists to meet somebody who is walking that path.”

Financial support for this installation, as well as future temporary and permanent art installations, is through the ArtFULLY Warsaw Fund at the Kosciusko County Community Foundation. Donors may support this effort by making a donation online and selecting “ArtFULLY Warsaw Fund.”

Light described this year’s installation as exciting but said next year’s will be “higher-level.” Funds to the ArtFULLY Warsaw Fund will help WPAC make a deposit for the 2023 art installation.

This artwork by Abigail Smith highlights the Biblical Gardens and is positioned along the wall of the Kosciusko County Community Foundation’s exterior wall on Buffalo Street.

Here is one of two giraffes positioned at the entrance of the city hall parking lot and created by Sunday Mahaja.

Here is a close-up view of the giraffe’s head.