A brightly colored hippo is the people’s choice. Salina Arts and Humanities has announced the 2019 People’s Choice in the Salina Sculpture Tour program as “Patches” by Dale Lewis from Minnesota.

The work will be placed where it is currently located, in front of the Smoky Hill Museum.

“Patches” is the eighth People’s Choice selected by the public and purchased by the City of Salina.

Previous People’s Choice Award winners include:

2011 – “Watch Dog” by Louise Peterson; On display in Oakdale Park Sculpture Garden

2012 – “Sweet Kisses” by Marianne Caroselli; On display in Oakdale Park Sculpture Garden

2013 – “Farmer” by Lawrence Starck; On display in Campbell Plaza, Downtown

2014 – “Next Up” by James Haire; To go on display at the Oakdale Park Tennis Courts

2015 – ““Daughters of Peace” by Benjamin Victor; on display inside the Salina City / County Building

2016 – “Slim” by Dale Lewis; on display at the Tony’s Pizza Events Center

2017 – “Picasso’s Violin” by Jodie Bliss; on display outside the Salina Innovation Foundation

Other than purchasing the People’s Choice winner, Sculpture Tour Salina is entirely privately funded. Multiple sculptures are temporarily displayed in the downtown area for a year. Each sculpture is for sale, with the City of Salina purchasing the People’s Choice winner for permanent display.

The current sculptures on the tour will soon be coming down, to make way for new ones. New Sculptures have been selected for 2019, and will unveiled in May.