Unmistakable Public Art Exhibition

Due to the ongoing winter storm, City facilities, including City Hall and all Parks, Recreation and Culture facilities, will be closed on Tuesday, Feb. 18. This is due to the forecasted winter storm resulting in dangerous travel conditions.

Read the news release for full details >>

2025 Unmistakable Public Art Exhibition

For 2025, after 34 remarkable years as the Outdoor Downtown Sculpture Exhibition—named originally by its founder, local artist Jim Patti—the Cultural Arts Commission recently renamed the program the Unmistakable Public Art Exhibition. This new name reflects the exciting evolution of public art, expanding beyond traditional forms like sculpture to embrace the many innovative and dynamic approaches that artists working in the public realm are exploring today.

One image collage of the nine 2025 Unmistakable Public Art Exhibition artworks

2025 Unmistakable Public Art Exhibition artworks

The work of nine artists were selected for this year's exhibition (in order from left to right in the images, above):

  • Tate Owens, In Gratitude - 9th and Mass, NE corner
  • V. skip willits, Memory - South Park, west side, NE corner
  • Evan Johnson, Paint the Town in Paper (Natural paper pulp applied to trees - intentionally temporary) - South Park
  • Alicia Kelly, Hangin' In, Hanging' Out - Vermont Street Garage
  • Ky Reed, Living Gods (Performance) - TBD
  • Myles Schachter, Dance for Hope - Baila por la Esparanza - 8th and Mass, SE corner
  • Kristin Garnant, Scions Bee - Theatre Lawrence
  • Jacob Burmood, Continuity - 7th and Mass, SW corner
  • Nathaniel Pierce, Lost Signals - 6th and Mass, SE corner planter

A reception and artwalk will be held on Final Friday in September, staye tuned!

Background: 2025 Application Information and Guidelines

Application deadline was 11:00 p.m., March 16, 2025

2024 Exhibition

Side-by-side photos of the seven artworks in the 2024 exhibition

Rollin Karg, Pat Slimmer, Mara Strayer, Suzan Hampton, V. skip Willits, Myles Schachter, Kristin Garnant

Seven artists were selected for the 2024 exhibition - 2024 Brochure/Map.

And, these artworks remain on encore display from 2023:

People can also view this year’s artworks or conduct self-guided tours by using the Otocast app which can be found at your favorite app store:

2023 Lawrence Annual Outdoor Downtown Sculpture Exhibition (ODSE)

The Lawrence Cultural Arts Commission’s Outdoor Downtown Sculpture Exhibition has a proud tradition. The exhibition was founded by Jim Patti in 1987 and is sponsored by the Lawrence Cultural Arts Commission, which receives financial and staff support from the City of Lawrence. Artworks are displayed or performed in downtown Lawrence, at Theatre Lawrence and city-wide.

Here’s a PDF version of the 2023 Brochure/Map.  In addition to being a popular annual exhibition for locals and visitors, artists gain hands-on professional experience developing and installing artworks in the public realm.

nine sculpture images arranged as a header
2023 Outdoor Sculpture Exhibition sculptures

2023 Participating Artists

  1. David Vertačnik, Lawrence, KS
  2. Jacob Burmood, St. Joseph, MO
  3. Will Vannerson, Kansas City, MO
  4. Myles Schachter, Lawrence, KS
  5. Pat Slimmer, Lawrence, KS
  6. Alicia Kelly, Lawrence, KS
  7. Sarah Gross, Lawrence, KS
  8. Mara Strayer, Lawrence, KS
  9. V. Skip Willits, Comanche, IA

Previous Exhibitions