SculptureWalk is almost back – and it’s making some changes

If SculptureWalk had a face, it would look like this:

That’s Jim Clark, who has led the nonprofit since it began 18 years ago.

In that time, it has become the largest public art exhibit of its kind, bringing more than 1,000 sculptures to Sioux Falls, most of them displayed seasonally downtown, plus the signature Arc of Dreams sculpture over the Big Sioux River.

This year will bring 62 new additions downtown. Installation is scheduled for May 15.

“We believe with the exceptional quality of the sculptures it will be the best year ever,” board president Regan Smith said. “We say that every year, but this year it seems to be way up.”

But, for the first time, when the sculptures come down next year, Clark no longer will be leading SculptureWalk.

He’s retiring, which gave the organization some decisions to make.

“It’s tough for a one-person director to do everything that needs to be done for an organization,” Smith said. “The finances, marketing, operations, development, the website. And we didn’t want to get into that cycle where every two years we’re hiring an executive director. We want continuity.”

That has led to a new agreement for professional services, where Washington Pavilion Management Inc. will provide operational administration for SculptureWalk. It remains its own nonprofit with its own board.

Director of museums Brandon Hanson will be the new point of contact.

“It’s such a perfect fit because we’re both really iconic and signature attractions in the Sioux Falls region,” Washington Pavilion CEO Darrin Smith said. “Beyond that, when I look at what SculptureWalk needs at every level to execute successfully every year, we have an organization in place with a very talented team that does all those things at a very high level.”

The SculptureWalk Visitor Center has been located in the Washington Pavilion since 2018. The first and last sculptures on the route also are located near the facility.

The relationship will help ensure SculptureWalk’s sustainability, Darrin Smith added.

“It has exploded beyond anyone’s imagination, except maybe Jim Clark’s, and now they really need to do something like this, to partner with an organization that has a wide variety of talent like ourselves to ensure their viability and continued growth.”

SculptureWalk’s leaders are continually contacted by other places that want to replicate it, Regan Smith said.

Clark will retire at the end of May but help in the transition going forward.

“He really created a world-class, one-of-a-kind, free art program right here in Sioux Falls and made an impact locally, regionally and nationally in the arts scene,” Regan Smith said. “SculptureWalk and the Arc are really big factors in the growth of downtown. I can’t imagine what our city or downtown would have been like without it.”