"Lewes public art exhibit is up and turning in the wind. Six pieces placed in George H.P. Smith park for the summer"
By Bill Shull
Paul Daniel is not the typical artist that might be found in a public park. Instead of an easel, paint brushes and a canvas, his tools were, well, tools.
Daniel spent three days with drills, ratchets and screwdrivers assembling six sculptures that are now up in George H.P. Smith Park in Lewes.
The pieces are this year’s temporary art installation, spearheaded by the city’s public art committee. Each one of the pieces is kinetic, driven by the wind and designed to put on a show.
“It’s better than I expected,” said Heidi Lowe, committee chair. “I thought the pictures were cool, but when they’re moving, it does so much more.”
“They move. They change. They’re really active and entertaining,” Daniel said.
The centerpiece, which Daniel named “M.T. Skirt,” is floating in Blockhouse Pond.
On April 24, the Lewes Board of Public Works provided a truck to lift the piece into the water, while Daniel and committee member Steve Walker paddled out in a rowboat to guide it into place.
The other pieces are spread around the path that meanders through the park. Their names are “Argus,” “Manolis,” “Bad Apple,” “Red Eye” and “Sun Tattler.”
“’Argus’ and ‘Sun Tattler’ have mirrors. They will start to tell you where the sun is during the day. As the world turns, they sort of describe what nature is doing around them,” Daniel said. “When ‘Manolis’ gets going, it really hums.”
This was the first time the Baltimore artist has placed his pieces outdoors in Delaware.
The committee chose Daniel for this year’s installation from a list of other artists. He came to check out the park last fall and knew it would be a great location to showcase his art.
“Nice place. Everybody seemed so happy, so it makes me happy,” Daniel said.
Besides Lowe and Walker, Lewes Councilman Tim Ritzert, Daniel’s wife Linda and his assistant Kyle Miller all pitched in to install the pieces between April 23-25.
The six sculptures will be up in George H.P. Smith Park all summer.
“I hope people come and check them out. They’re all around the pond; it kind of walks you around the pond,” Lowe said.
Last year’s temporary art piece is still standing in Canalfront Park. “Paviljeon,” Dutch for pavilion, is slated to be removed in May.