‘Healing Touch’ secured as community sculpture

After working for more than a year and a half, a major sculpture has been secured for the Newton community.

Centre of Arts and Artists Executive Director and President of the Iowa Sculpture Festival Linda Klepinger announced to the Newton City Council “Healing Touch” has been secured for purchase to be placed in Newton.

“I’m here not to ask for any action but to keep you in the loop in a project that we have been working on for the last year and a half,” Klepinger said. “This is actually the first time that we hope to come to the city for a request that we have never asked since 2003 and that is to help us with some citing of a major sculpture.”

Created by artist Teresa Hansen, “Healing Touch” features a woman holding a child and has been located on the corner of First Street and First Avenue for two seasons. It is a bronze sculpture Klepinger is hoping can be placed near Skiff Medical Center.

The sculpture was secured through the participation of a major benefactor, who chose to remain anonymous, and a major investment from the Iowa Sculpture Festival, the Jane and Murray Nelson Foundation and the artist Hansen.

“We have secured it at her asking price of $39,600, which is our most major piece to be acquired by the sculpture festival,” Klepinger said. “That is a lot of flipping burgers at the Iowa Speedway, a lot of picking corn, we’re not afraid of sweat equity.”

They city’s future participation potentially involves citing the sculpture including work on the footings, pads, sidewalks, plantings and stone. Klepinger said she may return at a later date for those requests.

“After accumulating a public art collection of more than 100 items, we feel that we have identified rural creative place making before anybody claimed it as a national organization,” Klepinger said. “We hope with that you will feel some confidence when we come back and ask for assistance in getting this cited in a prominent spot.”

Since starting in 2003, the Iowa Sculpture Festival has worked with the schools and many community partners to enrich the city through the cooperative efforts including a yearly tour with Jasper County schools, the First Avenue of Sculpture project and frequent bus tours who have traveled from as far as Oklahoma.

Contact Jamee A. Pierson at
641-792-3121 ext. 6534 or jpierson@newtondailynews.com