Joliet residents can vote on sculpture for downtown city square

The city of Joliet is asking residents to help pick a sculpture for the future downtown city square.

Starting Monday, Joliet residents can go to the city website, www.joliet.gov/cityquare/sculpture, to view design ideas for a sculpture and vote for their favorite. Voting will end on Aug. 9.

Residents may also vote in person at the Joliet Public Library downtown branch located at 150 N. Ottawa Street on Aug. 6, 7 and 8 from 3 to 7 p.m. Enlarged images of the sculpture proposals will be placed at the library for public viewing, according to a city news release.

The city square, a 1.3-acre urban park scheduled to be completed in December 2025 on the site of what is now a parking lot across from the Rialto Square Theatre, will include a sculpture yet to be approved by the city.

“As part of this initiative, residents are invited to participate in selecting a centerpiece sculpture through a unique voting process,” according to the release.

The Joliet Arts Commission and city staff have already reviewed proposals submitted to the city after a national call for sculpture ideas. Fourteen designs were selected as sub-finalists, according to the news release.

“The internal review committee evaluated the submissions based on the established criteria and narrowed the list,” Ray Heitner, the city staff liaison to the Arts Commission said in the release. “Residents may now choose from the very best designs to get a finalist.”

After residents vote, up to five finalists will be chosen to develop detailed conceptual proposals, according to the release. Finalists will present their proposals to the Joliet Arts Commission at a special meeting in September. The Arts Commission will recommend a final sculpture design to the Joliet City Council for approval by late 2024.

The budget for sculpture is capped at $200,000, according to the release.

“This initiative not only aims to beautify city square but also encourages community engagement and pride in shaping the city’s cultural landscape,” according to the release.

More information about the city square project can be found at the city website, Joliet.gov.