The City Art Walking Sculpture Tour will be welcoming 31 new sculptures on Saturday, May 16 into the City Centers of Mankato and North Mankato for its fifth public art installation.

The program will feature stunning works of art created by renowned artists from 10 different states in the U.S., two foreign countries and many pieces by Minnesota artists. Following the early morning installation is “Meet and Greet on the Street,” a free public event from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. in the City Center core of Mankato and North Mankato. The public is welcome to come out and meet participating artists at their newly installed sculpture.

This is a special opportunity to put a face to the art that the community enjoys year round and delve deeper into the inspiration behind the sculpture. A shuttle service will be available during this time to transport tour goers across Veterans Memorial Bridge to enjoy the full tour. “There is plenty of parking available in the City Center parking lots and ramps. We encourage everyone to take advantage of this unique opportunity to meet these talented artists and take in the new tour,” said Noelle Lawton, Special Initiatives Coordinator for the City Center Partnership.

Tour goers are invited to vote for their favorite sculpture which will be awarded the coveted People’s Choice award. There are two ways to vote: either online or by completing the voting ballot found in the CityArt Walking Sculpture Tour brochure and dropping it in one of the ballot boxes along the tour.

The new sculptures and online voting will go live on the CityArt website on Saturday, May 16 at citycentermankato.com/walking-sculpture-tour.