Behind the Scenes with Auburn’s Sculpture Gallery
Story by Amanda Jenkinson and Allison Hyde, City of Auburn Arts Department | Photography by Arts Department
Take a stroll around downtown Auburn, and you might find there’s art around every corner – literally! Where there’s an empty nook or a bare cranny, pedestals and concrete pads live in thirteen different spots orbiting Main Street. For one week in September, the streets of Auburn’s downtown are a buzz with artists coming from all over the Pacific Northwest to bring their art for Auburn’s Downtown Sculpture Gallery program. The annual changeover process for this program includes 26 individually-planned timeslots over four days to deinstall existing sculptures and install the incoming sculptures, making it a busy yet exciting schedule of exchanges between artists, City parks maintenance team, and arts staff.
Armed with welding gear, generator, a myriad of tools, and sometimes heavy lifting equipment, the parks maintenance team arrives on-site early in the morning to begin each day’s intense task. One after the other, the hard-working and dedicated team hops from one pedestal to the next, meeting with artists and their creations to install and de-install large-scale sculptures in a finely tuned dance of bolting and lifting. Trucks and forklifts occupy the sidewalk, with artists and professionals safely managing the dramatic transfer between pedestal and vehicle.
Artists from across the Pacific Northwest apply and travel for the opportunity to display their sculptures in downtown Auburn. Since 2011, the City of Auburn has provided a destination for outdoor sculpture appreciation. What began as a project inspired by other cities with similar programs across the United States, this public art gallery has grown from its original seven downtown locations to thirteen as of 2025, providing a platform for artists creating large-scale outdoor sculpture to showcase their work on a rotating basis.
Take it from artist Ken Turner, who has been a recurring sculpture gallery artist since 2016. “As an artist, I really appreciate the program for both practical and aesthetic reasons. What a great idea to have sculptures up around town that people can view any time. It’s good for the sculptors to have a place capable of showing a wide variety of sculpture. I often think of all the work and workers involved in making it all possible; managing the program, setting up juries, contacting the artists, designing the placement of each sculpture.”
The true all-stars of the whole process are the parks maintenance team. They are the jack-of-all-trades team with a “can-do” attitude, whose skills and hard work truly make the sculpture gallery program possible. From operating forklifts to the sparks flying from onsite welding – the process of moving and securely installing these artworks for the public to enjoy is demanding work. Taylor Pence, Auburn Parks Maintenance Specialist, has been wielding the welding torch and acting as the lead for the art installation team for many years now, and has learned to troubleshoot installation needs like a pro, sharing how “It’s amazing to be a part of this process and see the improvements over the years.”
Artists have only good things to express about the hard work that goes into the Downtown Sculpture Gallery. “I have shown my work in a variety of cities and my experience with Auburn was totally positive” says artist Jan Hoy. “I appreciate the organization, friendly attitude, and professionalism of you and the city crew who did the install and uninstall.” Another recurring artist, Jennifer Kapnek, extends her thanks: “I also want to reach out and thank you and your crew for the amazingly orchestrated installation. Everything went so smoothly, and everyone involved was so nice to work with. The Auburn art program is really impressive, and I am honored to be a part of it again.”
Kapnek is one of thirteen artists with artworks selected for the 2025-26 Sculpture Gallery year, alongside Dan Brown, Dale Compton, Shelly Durica-Laiche, Chuck Fitzgerald, Tom Gormally, A. Lee Harris, Shawn Johnson, Ed McCarthy, Nathan Robles, Ken Turner, Lloyd Whannell, and a collaboration piece between Kevin and Gabrielle Wildheart. Over the course of each Sculpture Gallery year, votes are cast by visitors from across the PNW for the annual People’s Choice Award, available on the City of Auburn website. Allison Hyde, Auburn’s Arts Program Supervisor, believes “the award is a great opportunity for the community to engage with the program: by viewing the art, voting for their favorite piece, and recognizing the talents of these amazing sculpture artists.”
“Auburn is well respected in the community for the program” says Ken Turner. “I am always pleased when one of my sculptures is chosen and I thank the folks that make it all happen. Special thanks to the crews doing the installations. They take the time and effort to do it well.” Auburn
SPECIAL THANKS TO: Taylor Pence, Randy White, and the entire Park Maintenance Team!