Downtown Marion cardinals project just one nest short of being completed
All but one of the cardinal sculptures created for a public art project in Marion are now in their permanent nesting place.
Organizers of the Downtown Marion, Inc. cardinal project celebrated the installation of seven of the final eight ornately decorated pieces during a walking tour on Oct. 8.
"A year ago, we unveiled nine of the 17 cardinal statues that were finished and installed," Dean Jacob, president and CEO of the Marion Community Foundation, which is the major sponsor of the project. There are 17 other sponsors who contributed to the project. "Today we’ll unveil the final eight – seven of which are installed and the last will be installed in Founders’ Park after the upcoming park improvements are finished."
The 17 cardinals represent Ohio being the 17th state admitted to the United States. Each cardinal was designed and painted by an artist who either resides in Marion County or is originally from Marion County.
Jacob noted that over the past year since the first sculptures were installed in downtown Marion, the cardinal project has become a popular tourist destination and has attracted much attention to the city on social media.
"Bev Ford at (the Marion Area Convention and Visitors Bureau) reports getting many requests from people outside of Marion asking for information about the cardinals. She has created a nice walking map of all 17 cardinals so people can find them easily," Jacob said.
Following is a complete list of all the cardinal sculptures with location and artists included:
"Zenburda" - Busby Park at Center and Prospect streets (Artist: Dianne Krumnow)
"Impression: Cardinal" - Founders Park at Main and Church streets (Artist: Ben Kern)
"Celebrating the Women of Marion" - Harding Centre, 267 W. Center St., corner of Orchard and Center streets (Artists: Amanda Adkins and Andrea Johnston)
"Magical Gem" - Palace Theatre, 276 W. Center St. (Artist: Jane W. Nelson)
"Gen. Francis Marion, The Swamp Fox" - Heritage Hall/Marion County Historical Society, 169 E. Church St. (Artist: Lou Graziani)
"Life in Pieces" - Explore-It-Torium, 244 S. Main St. (Artist: Linda L. Smith)
"Marion County Courthouse" - Marion County Courthouse, corner of Main and Center streets (Artist: Kevin Tackett)
"Marion's Peacekeepers" - Marion City Hall, 233 W. Center St. (Artist: Amanda Adkins)
"Marion County Fair" - Marion County Building, 222 W. Center St., corner of Center and Oak streets (Artists: Amanda Adkins and Cindy Wood)
"Seasons of a Buckeye" - United Church Homes, 170 E. Center St. (Artists: Ben Kern and Kelly Taylor)
"Blue Skies Over Marion" - Fahey Bank, 127 N. Main St. (Artist: William Scott Obenour)
"Fire Bird" - City of Marion Fire Department, Station #1, 186 S. Prospect St. (Artist: Amanda Adkins)
"My Feathered Friend" - OhioHealth, 165 W. Center St., corner of Center and Prospect streets (Artists: Amanda Adkins and Bobbi Lapushansky)
"Good Olde Marion Town" - Marion Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, 198 W. Center St. (Artists: Jane W. Nelson and Annette Montis)
"Cardinal of Carnations" - Fisher Building, 107 N. Main St., corner of Main and Center streets (Artist: Amanda Adkins)
"Oorang Indians" - southwest corner of State and Center streets (Artist: Kevin Tackett)
"Redbird" - northwest corner of Church and Vine streets (Artist: Annette Montis)
The final cardinal sculpture, "Impression: Cardinal" by Ben Kern, is currently being housed at The Guild, 146 W. Center St. in Marion. It will be permanently placed in Founders Park once the City of Marion completes the planned renovation project for the park.
Downtown Marion, Inc. has a page on its website devoted to the cardinal project that includes a map of the downtown area where each bird's nest is located.
Email: ecarter@gannett.com | Twitter: @AndrewACCarter
This article originally appeared on Marion Star: Downtown Marion cardinals project one nest short of being completed
