Sculpture by the Sea facts for kids
Sculpture by the Sea is Australia's biggest yearly outdoor art show for sculptures. It takes place in Sydney and Perth. This amazing exhibition started in 1997 at Bondi Beach. It showed sculptures from artists in Australia and from all over the world. Later, in 2005, a similar event began at Cottesloe Beach in Western Australia. It featured over 70 artists. For a few years, starting in 2009, Aarhus in Denmark also hosted a Sculpture by the Sea event, the first one outside Australia.
This exhibition happens every year during spring in Australia. It runs for three weeks, usually from late October to early November. More than 100 artists from Australia and other countries join in each year. Sculpture by the Sea is super popular! Lots of people come to see the art. In 2014, the local council thought that between 450,000 and 500,000 people would visit the sculptures in Sydney.
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History of Sculpture by the Sea
In 1995, David Handley, who started Sculpture by the Sea, was living in Prague. He visited an outdoor sculpture park in a place called Klatovy. This visit gave him the idea to create something similar in Australia. When he came back to Sydney in 1996, his friends suggested the coastal walk from Bondi to Tamarama as a great spot. At first, he thought about having paintings too, calling it "Art by the Sea." But he decided against it because the weather by the coast can be very unpredictable. That's how "Sculpture by the Sea" was born!
The very first exhibition was put together really fast, in just 10 weeks, and with very little money. It lasted only one day at Bondi. But it got a lot of attention from the news and about 20,000 people came to see it. They received 189 art ideas from 138 artists and chose 64 of them to show.
The exhibition has faced some challenges from the weather. In 1998, strong conditions on the coast damaged six sculptures. One sculpture, worth $40,000, was broken by huge waves. In 1999, another sculpture was wrecked by rough weather. The exhibition has also had some problems with vandalism. One sculpture was stolen, and part of another was pushed into the sea by vandals.
Every year, the coastal path from Bronte Beach to Bondi Beach via Tamarama Beach turns into a giant outdoor art gallery. Over 100 sculptures are displayed with the ocean and coastal views as their background. It's a two-kilometre walk filled with amazing art!
Awards for Sculptors
Many talented artists get special awards at Sculpture by the Sea. For the first eight years, a company called Sydney Water gave the main prize. Most of these winning artworks were then given to the Campbelltown Arts Centre. Later, other groups like NAB, the Balnaves Foundation, and Macquarie Group sponsored the main prize. These winning sculptures often found new homes in places like the Royal Botanic Gardens or George’s Heights.
There are also many other cool awards and scholarships. These include the Helen Lempriere Scholarship, which helps artists grow. There's also a program for new artists called The Clitheroe Foundation Emerging Sculptor Mentorship Program. People who visit the exhibition can even vote for their favourite artwork in the Allens People's Choice Award. Plus, there's a special award to encourage younger artists!
Here are some of the past winners of the main prize at Sculpture by the Sea:
| Year | Winner | Name of Winning Sculpture | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | James Parrett | M-fortysix | Aqualand |
| 2017 | David Ball | Orb | Aqualand |
| 2016 | Johannes Pannekoek | Change Ahead | Aqualand |
| 2015 | Jörg Plickat (Germany) | Divided Planet | Macquarie Group |
| 2014 | 'Peter Lundberg' (USA) | Ring | Macquarie Group |
| 2013 | Stephen King | Fallout | Macquarie Group |
| 2012 | Peter Lundberg (USA) | Barrell Roll | Balnaves Foundation |
| 2011 | Paul Selwood | Paradiegma metaphysic | Balnaves Foundation |
| 2010 | Keld Moseholm (Denmark) | Mirroring 1995 | Balnaves Foundation |
| 2009 | May Barrie | Time and tide granite monolith ll | Balnaves Foundation |
| 2008 | Mark McClelland | She thought | ? |
| 2007 | David Horton | Yesternight: a year in progress | NAB |
| 2006 | Orest Keywan | ...and with a name to come | NAB |
| 2005 | Vaclav Fiala (Czech Republic) | Chapel | |
| 2004 | Vaclav Fiala (Czech Republic) | Belfry for Jorn Uton | Sydney Water |
| 2003 | Richard Goodwin | Carapace | Sydney Water |
| 2002 | Kate Davis (England) | Target | Sydney Water |
| 2001 | Nigel Harrison | Omeomi | Sydney Water |
| 2000 | Libby Bloxham and Richie Kuhaupt (WA) | Celebrating diversity and Hollowman respectively | Sydney Water |
| 1999 | Orest Keywan | With a View | Sydney Water |
| 1998 | Campbell Robertson-Swann | Night Passage | Sydney Water |
| 1997 | Michael Le Grand (ACT) and Duncan Stemler | Deshabille and Venus respectively | Sydney Water |
Cottesloe Exhibition
In 2005, the first Sculpture by the Sea event outside Sydney happened at Cottesloe beach. This beach in Western Australia looks out over the Indian Ocean. This exhibition showed sculptures by artists from Western Australia. It also featured works by invited artists from other parts of Australia and around the world. This free yearly art show brings in about 100,000 visitors of all ages.
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Cottesloe Beach 2010
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Flamingo sculptures 2015
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Glass pillar sculpture 2011
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Whale shark 2013
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Mosaic faces 2011
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Cottesloe Awards
Just like in Sydney, artists at the Cottesloe exhibition also receive awards. These awards help support sculptors and celebrate their amazing work. Some of the prizes include the Roy Hill Sculpture Prize and the NAB Western Australia Sculpture Scholarship. There are also "People's Choice" and "Kids' Choice" awards, where visitors get to pick their favourite sculptures.
Sculpture by the Sea Outside Australia
In June 2009, Crown Princess Mary and Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark started a Sculpture by the Sea event in Aarhus (Denmark). They were inspired by the exhibitions in Australia, which is Mary's home country. This was the only Sculpture by the Sea event held outside Australia. The city of Aarhus worked with the ARoS Aarhus Artmuseum to create it. The first two exhibitions attracted about half a million visitors! However, Sculpture by the Sea, Aarhus ended after its last event in 2015.
