Fourteen five-foot-tall, artist-painted sailboat structures will be on display around downtown Naperville through Labor Day.
The Downtown Naperville Alliance (DNA) is celebrating summer 2021 with its annual sculpture program. This year, downtown will be full of brightly colored, cheerful sailboats. The theme is, "Come Sail into Summer in Downtown Naperville!"
In summer 2020, there were no sculptures due to the pandemic. The last time Naperville had its sculpture program, in 2019, the theme was "the dog days of summer," with three feet tall dog statues anchored on a one-foot base.
Katie Wood, the Executive Director of the DNA told Naperville Community Television, “I think this is our eighth year doing this. We’ve had everything from dogs, to book benches, little cars, we’ve had hearts, and this is sailboats.”
Local businesses, residents, and other organizations have the chance to sponsor the sculptures. When it's time for the statues to come down, the sponsors receive the sculptures and typically donate them to charity organizations. The sailboats will not be available for the public to buy.
Feel free to take lots of pics, but the DNA would like to remind visitors not to climb the statues.
In 2019 it was the "Dog Days of Summer"
In summer 2020, there were no sculptures due to the pandemic. The last time Naperville had its annual sculpture program was in 2019 when the theme was "the Dog Days of Summer." That summer, downtown Naperville was full of three feet tall dog statues anchored onto one-foot bases.
In previous years, Naperville has seen various themes, including hearts, benches, books, cars, and trains.
It wasn't always a summer event. The United Way previously ran the sculpture program in Naperville. But when the United Way left, the program ended. The seasonal sculptures were a popular attraction, which was why the DNA decided to revive the program.
The first year the DNA began the sculptures was in 2012 when local artists created a winter holiday attraction of snowmen and gingerbread men sculptures.
Where can you find the sailboats?
The fourteen boats are scattered around downtown Naperville. You can follow this map for exact locations.
Who are the artists behind the sailboats?
Local and regional artists are the talent behind the sculptures. Marianne Kuhn is a veteran of the Naperville program and has designed two of the boats this year, for sponsors, Magnitech and Downtown Naperville.
“It’s a fun theme for this year,” Kuhn told Naperville Community Television. “Sailing evokes thoughts of vacations, good times, and I think everybody will enjoy it.”
Kuhn says that painting the sailboats can take up to three weeks and she uses a variety of artists' tools, including pencils, brushes, rulers, and paints.
Local businesses hope for a busy summer
The sculpture program is always a draw to the area. And when people come to visit the statues, they tend to stay for shopping and dining.
Despite difficulties in the past year due to the pandemic, stay-at-home orders, and capacity limits on businesses, downtown Naperville has been seeing new businesses arrive. Some new stores, like Starbucks Reserve, Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream, and Vasili’s Mediterranean have opened recently, or will shortly.
Mayor Steve Chirico said during a 2021 State of the City address to the Naperville Area Chamber of Commerce, “As I said, our economic foundation gives businesses the confidence that Naperville is a solid investment, and wow are they investing."
“If anything, the last year has reminded us all that uncertainty is, well, certain. Chirico continued, “But, when we lean into the foundations that supported us in the good times, we’ll have the stability we need in uncertain times.”
Sailboats on sail
As for the sailboats, they'll be "docked" in Naperville only until Labor Day. So don't miss your chance to view the unique designs and snap some pics with these five-foot-tall celebrations of summer.
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