10-year-old tour guide thrives on stories behind SculptureWalk

Notebook in hand, Charley Hosek quizzed the artists gathered at a reception one recent Friday night.

The information he gathered — insight into the newly installed exhibits in this year’s SculptureWalk Sioux Falls — will be shared with others throughout the summer as 10-year-old Charley expands the tours he offers to the general public.

Over and over at the event, he asked the artists what had inspired them to create the works now on display in what is billed as the largest annual exhibit of public sculptures in the world.

Charley, who is finishing fifth grade at Abiding Savior Academy, first started as a tour guide last summer, showing his grandfather and other family members around the pieces on display in downtown Sioux Falls.

“It’s just a fun activity to do if you’re visiting Sioux Falls or just looking for something to do on a summer day,” he said.

He continued to offer tours through the summer as family friends came to Sioux Falls from out of state. Charley enjoys traveling and seeing sculptures in places like California; he wanted others to have the same experience locally.

A post on social media showing Charley as a tour guide came to the attention of Brandon Hanson, executive director of SculptureWalk Sioux Falls.

“Charley is incredible,” Hanson said. “We just absolutely fell in love with him.”

SculptureWalk officials decided to invite Charley to the reception so he could meet the artists, “so he can have more information to keep doing the tours.” Hanson described him as a nonofficial member of the SculptureWalk team.

“It’s incredible, his passion, and the more positive people we can be around the better,” Hanson said.

Charley, the son of Nichole and Michael Hosek, enjoys playing foursquare and jumping on his trampoline with friends in the neighborhood outside of school hours. In school, he enjoys gym class and taking tests and quizzes in Latin class.

Charley’s plans this year are to offer the tours at three levels, covering different distances. The longest tour likely will run 12 blocks. His pricing will depend on the tour. Reservations for Charley’s work as a tour guide can be made through his mother’s Facebook page.

SculptureWalk this year has expanded to the historic Cathedral neighborhood. Four pieces are on display on Duluth Avenue between Seventh and 10th streets. This year, it offers 67 sculptures, up from the previous record of 62. The official route begins at the Washington Pavilion at 11th Street and Main Avenue with an indoors sculpture.

The public votes for a sculpture through the People’s Choice Award, which runs through September. The city of Sioux Falls purchases that piece to become part of its permanent collection.

Charley first remembers viewing SculptureWalk in 2018. That means he has seen dozens of pieces over the years. He said his favorite one from last year probably was “We Can Do This,” a child in the traditional Rosie the Riveter pose cast in bronze.

Each piece, however, is special.

“They’re all great,” Charley said. “They’re creative.”

Charley himself is creative. He draws a comic strip named “Froggo and Puffer.” Froggo is a frog, and Puffer a puffer fish. The two have adventures together.

He plans to expand his tours this year, adding things such as a trip of the city’s namesake falls.

“I have things I want to innovate about it,” Charley said.