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OUTDOOR ART >> GAINESVILLE SCULPTURES
CLOSE ENCOUNTERS
Sculpture Culture Gainesville’s Got Sculpting Down to a Fine Art S TORY A N D PHOTOG R A PHY BY C A MERON COBB
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rench fries, planets and gators — oh my! From a place known for fostering an artistic culture and inspiring the imaginative, the brilliance of Gainesville’s many sculptural displays speak for themselves. Wherever your expedition takes you, there’s often an artistic treasure around the corner waiting to greet you. You’ll find it’s not hard to see how Gainesville is, in itself, a wondrous work of art.
“The Solar Walk” NW 8th Ave. (just east of 34th Street) In March of 2002, Gainesville introduced one out-of-this-world art project: the Solar Walk. The astounding 3.6 billion-mile extraterrestrial expedition between the Sun and Pluto has been scaled to a manageable hike of 0.9 miles, with distance between the planets appropriately coordinated, according to alachuaastronomyclub.org. Lovers of sculptures, outer space or scenic strolls can enjoy
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OUR TOWN MAGAZINE
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these celestial monuments designed by UF alum Elizabeth Indianos. The journey appropriately begins at the heart of our solar system, the Sun, with the remainder of the stellar sidewalk display starring each of the nine planets (Pluto included), along with two Comet Halley figures placed along the way. For an authentic experience, park at Albert “Ray” Massey (Westside) Playground during hours of darkness, where you can saunter through the space voyage by starlight.