A new sculpture on the downtown Gainesville Square is looking for a name and Kay and Doug Ivester have teamed up with WDUN for a public contest to pick one name above the rest.
When Doug Ivester envisioned the Gainesville Renaissance building, he pictured seven different structures, themed between 1915 and 1925. Now, almost three years after the initial announcement and unveiling of plans, the square is filling its retail frontage and has achieved an early 1900s aesthetic.
Sitting in contrast to the Renaissance building is a contemporary sculpture Ivester nicknamed an “attitude piece.” Ivester and WDUN have teamed up and are now accepting name submissions for the sculpture with the winner directing $2,000 to a charity of their choice.
Ivester believes the modern art piece meshed with the old-soul style seen in the Renaissance architecture will portray a contemporary mindset for the building, which also houses Brenau University’s Lynn J. Darby School of Psychology and Adolescent Counseling on the second floor.
The “Sculpt the Square” naming contest kicks off today and will run through June 23. The winner of the contest will be announced on WDUN’s Mornings on Maine Street show with Bill Maine. The winner will have the opportunity to direct $2,000 to their favorite Hall County-based charity. Additionally, a plaque will be installed on the sculpture, including the sculpture’s name, the winner’s name and the chosen charity. The winner will be featured on AccessWDUN and the AM/FM radio stations, sharing their story, how they came up with the winning name and which charity they chose.
The sculpture sits in the middle of the southeastern side of the downtown Gainesville Square, in front of several new businesses including Kilwins, Cotto Modern Italian, Boarding Pass Coffee, Onward Reserve and Taqueria Tsunami. WDUN is set to move its broadcasting studios into the final open retail space next to Kilwins on the Renaissance frontage later this year.
“I had worked with a sculptor in China, and his wife, who had done a couple of pieces for us that we have at another location,” Doug Ivester said. “And I asked him about what he might do that had this contemporary look. And this is the piece that he came up with. And I thought it did reflect a more modern attitude for the building, and I thought it would be fun if it was placed out front, the yin and yang of the past and the future.”
The sculpture was designed and produced by Aongking Sculpture Supplier and Manufacturer through a forging process using stainless steel.
To enter the naming contest, registrants must include their name, email and phone number, as well as their sculpture name submission and which Hall County charity they want the money to go towards should they win the contest. Individuals and entire companies are both allowed to enter.
Those interested in joining the contest can do so by going to www.wdun.com.
Pictures and video of the sculpture can be found at the link provided above, as well as in the above photo gallery. Click here for a list of Hall County charities.
The winner of the “Sculpt the Square” naming contest will receive:
- $2,000 for their favorite Hall County-based charity
- A permanent plaque on the sculpture, including the sculpture's name, the winner's name and the charity's name
- AccessWDUN news feature for the winner and their chosen charity
- WDUN radio story and interview on the air
- Bragging rights for decades on the downtown Gainesville Square
