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MANKATO — There was a good “32” Saturday morning in the city centers of Mankato and North Mankato and a not so good “32.”
The positive 32 — the one destined to bring wonderment, amusement and occasional bewilderment — was the number of new artworks arriving for the CityArt 2025 Walking Sculpture Tour.
The less pleasant 32 — the one generating shivers, grimaces and the return of winter coats and gloves — was the windchill when the pieces were being installed by volunteers in the two city centers.
Mark Fischenich
Randy Zellmer, left, and welder Jim Zwaschka plot their next sculpture installation after completing work on the placement of “Otterly Pointless” along Second Street in Mankato Saturday morning.
But after nearly three hours of work, the otters were frolicking, the young violinist was playing, the abstract pieces were evoking deep thoughts and the pig on the bike was zooming.
“Today is the day you work for all year,” said Corissa Nelson, a member of the CityArt Committee that picked the new batch of sculptures. “… It’s exciting to see all the artists and talk to them.”
A Mankato resident who works in graphic design and digital art, Nelson celebrated the day by accepting the clear invitation in sculptor Keith Dorn’s “Look Mom! No Hams!”
Nelson climbed onto the seat of the bike Dorn had created and mimicked the pink pig riding gleefully on the handlebars as Dorn looked on, smiling.
The 62-year-old artist said the sculpture was inspired by all the kind words he’s received from people since he made the late career transition from distribution center maintenance man to sculptor.
“The people are so generous and kind and love art,” said Dorn of rural Mankato. “I thought, ‘This way they could be a part of the art piece, not just look at it but enjoy it like they’re giving the pig a ride.’”
This is Dorn’s second year with a piece in the Mankato-North Mankato sculpture tour. His debut last year could hardly have been more auspicious. He won the People’s Choice Award with “Bird of Pray.”
“I never considered myself an artist. It’s weird,” Dorn said.
Others definitely did, and he began making a living at it 11 years ago when his bosses at the True Value Distribution Center allowed him to switch to a part-time position. Six years later, he became a full-time artist.
“I put in 12-, 14-hour days and I never get enough,” he said. “… Yeah, it’s an addiction. I guess it’s a good addiction.”
Although Dorn has trouble thinking of himself as an artist, he remembers being attracted to both visual arts and industrial arts.
“I loved art in school,” he said. “I loved art and I loved shop.”
Which is a combination that produced another sculpture being installed two blocks farther south on Second Street.
Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton art teacher A.J Seibert poses with “Weldigo,” the sculpture created by 10 students in a class taught by Seibert and JWP’s shop instructor. The mythical creature is based on what’s known as a wendigo in Algonquin folklore.
Created by the Advanced Metal Sculpture Class at Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton High School, “Weldigo” is the students’ take on a mythological creature known in Algonquin lore as a wendigo. After brainstorming late last year, the 10 students searched for metal objects to represent the cryptid’s hair, ribs, hooves and antlers and brought him to life this spring.
Art teacher A.J. Seibert said she co-teaches the class with JWP’s shop instructor, and the class is a combination of artsy and mechanical student groups that don’t traditionally mix.
“They learn to work together even though they’re not usually in the same social circles,” Seibert said.
The end result, as it was for six previous classes, is acceptance into a community sculpture exhibit populated by works from professional artists from across the United States and beyond.
“High school kids would almost never get to experience something like this,” she said, adding that it’s fun for the students to come back to Mankato with friends and family to see their work being appreciated by others during its yearlong display.
Randy Zellmer, fleet manager and fire chief for the city of North Mankato, welds “Weldigo” into place along Second Street in Mankato. The arc welders were about the only source of warmth on a frigid kickoff to the 2025 Sculpture Walk Saturday morning.
Drawing visitors is a primary goal of the sculpture walk, which began in 2011 and is sponsored by the City Center Partnership and Twin Rivers Council for the Arts. But public art, like architecture and other visual elements in a downtown, is more than a tourist attraction, according to Nelson.
“Design and art make a difference in how a place feels, whether it’s a place you want to spend time,” she said. “I think it’s just a big part of making a community feel welcoming.”
Because of logistical issues, people who make an early visit to this year’s sculpture walk won’t see all 32 new sculptures. A couple will be added in coming days or weeks, including a massive shark by the artist that created the Godzilla sculpture purchased for ongoing display at the foot of the Veterans Memorial Bridge in North Mankato. The total number of sculptures is actually nearing 50, however, because at least one is purchased each year to become part of the communities’ permanent collection, meaning the tour continues to grow in size every spring.
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