Orange County Hosts 11th Annual Sculpture on the Lawn Event

Orange County Administration Center held its 11th annual “Sculpture on the Lawn” event in their Sculpture Garden on Friday, Jan. 16.

The event exhibited four sculptures by international artists that were picked by the Public Art Review Board of the Arts & Cultural Affairs Advisory Council to be displayed in the Sculpture Garden for a year. The Sculpture on the Lawn program was established in 2015 by the Public Art Review Board to bring more awareness to the art scene in Central Florida. 

“The intent of the program is really to bring world class art to the citizens of Orange County in this open air sort of museum without walls,” said Vicki Landon, administrator for Orange County’s Office of Arts and Cultural Affairs.

The sculptures are on a loan from the artists and are on display 24/7 right outside of the administration center through January 2027. Three of the sculptures will then be moved to Winter Park’s Art on the Green program where they will be showcased for another year in Seven Oaks Park and four new ones will take their place in the Sculpture Garden. This allows for new art to circulate throughout the community in different areas of Orange County.

“I think one of the things that the program does is activate the space of art,” said Dawn R. Knight, public art coordinator for Orange County. “I think that having a rotating program is a really good thing so that it doesn’t become a part of the woodwork.”

Knight believes the location of the Sculpture Garden helps generate more interest and eyes to the art. 

“This is such a core center downtown. There’s an estimated 10,000 people a day who drive by this building,” said Knight. “I think that it enriches everyone’s life.”

The four pieces that were displayed are The Shape of Drift by Ariana Berman, Common Form by David Cookson and Javier Guillan, Human Nature Fig No. 5-6-7 by Art Garcia and Golden Hour by Cecilia Lueza.

Ariana Berman, an artist from Lexington, Kentucky, believes that the program helps make art accessible to everyone.

“They get to enjoy sculpture or art that is otherwise sometimes not available to them or their area,” said Berman.

Berman’s piece, The Shape of Drift, is a representation of a break in the current of a lake, which is inspired by her childhood experiences of fishing. She used the colors orange and black to represent the liveliness of water.

David Cookson and Javier Guillan, local artists from Orlando, piece Common Form emphasizes community and interconnectedness. 

“It’s an amazing opportunity to be also just in the heart of downtown where there is such a possibility for people to see,” Cookson said.

Three of the four sculptures will be selected for placement at Seven Oaks Park in Winter Park for another year. John Bannon, an artist from Chicago, had his piece featured in the Sculpture on the Lawn event last year and was in town for this year’s showing. His piece Drop is now exhibited at Seven Oaks Park.

Bannon’s sculpture is a 12-foot blade of glass with a dewdrop-shaped urethane lens, which creates an optical effect by inverting its surroundings. Bannon highlighted the sculpture’s role in helping people change their perspective on familiar objects.

Mayor Jerry L. Demings ended the event with a few words and Landon led a walk through of each piece accompanied by words from the artists in attendance.