SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- The fourth annual Lawn Art With Neighbors (LAWN) Exhibition is the perfect opportunity to create a public art display for your neighbors to enjoy, or to create something with your neighbors to enhance where you live.

The 2023 version of Lawn Art With Neighbors (LAWN) is set for April 22 to May 7.

LAWN is a public art opportunity accessible to all community members and all art forms.

“Public art improves our quality of life, contributes to our quality of place, and provides an opportunity to get to know your neighbors,” said Deidre Argyle, associate professor of Art and Design at Missouri State University “It is a well-accepted principle that public art contributes to a community's identity, fosters community pride and a sense of belonging, and enhances the quality of life for its residents.”

Public art exhibits like LAWN reflect and reveal our society, and add meaning to our unique communities. Public art humanizes the built environment and invigorates public spaces. Public art is also freely accessible.

“Even though we are in our fourth year, our main challenge is reminding people about this event far enough ahead that they can plan out the creation and installation of some art,” said Argyle.

CALL FOR PARTICIPATION

LAWN organizers invite Springfield and Greene County residents to create a work of art in their front lawn for a county-wide public art exhibition.

All community members are encouraged to participate by creating art using materials available at home and placing it in front of their residences. This project is about expressing creativity, no matter the skill level.

April 1 is the deadline for priority registration. Participants pick of their LAWN signs between April 1 and April 19.

April 15 is the deadline for submitting participation forms to be included on the map.

The participation form is can found online at https://sculpturewalkspringfield.org/sculptures/lawn-art-with-neighbors/l-a-w-n-artists/.

EXAMPLE FROM 2022

A project for LAWN can bring neighbors together, according to David Burton, a community development specialist with University of Missouri Extension.

“Last year, I had neighbors over to my garage, one family at a time, to create their own squares doing spin art with paint and a power drill,” said Burton. “We attached all those squares to a picket fence to communicate that our neighborhood is comprised of colorful and unique individuals. The LAWN display is now at an entrance to our neighborhood.”

The project, entitled “Welcome to my Colorful Neighborhood,” has created enough questions that Burton eventually wrote a blog about it: https://we-are-neighbors.blogspot.com/2022/04/lawn-art-speaks-to-imago-deo-and.html.

Burton says the 2023 creation is a five-panel mural created by residents that will communicate a similar theme and hopefully involve more of his neighbors. His goal is for neighbors to add their own unique touch to a neighborhood piece of art.

“Working together on the project last year led to great conversations with some neighbors I did not previously know and a chance to catch up with those I did. We need those neighbor contacts to stay mentally and physically healthy, " Burton said.

SPONSORS AND FINDING

LAWN is sponsored by Sculpture Walk Springfield, Springfield Art Museum, Missouri State University: Art + Design Department and University of Missouri Extension (Greene County).

Take a stroll, bike ride, or cruise and enjoy artwork brought to you by your neighbors April 22 - May 7.  The LAWN site map and viewing suggestions to locate the artworks nearest you are online at https://sculpturewalkspringfield.org/sculptures/lawn-art-with-neighbors.

LAWN HISTORY

In 2020, LAWN was launched and included 65 lawn art projects created by over 100 community members. During 2021, LAWN had nearly 75 participating lawn art projects in Springfield.  In 2022, LAWN expanded to lawns in other communities of Greene County.

This year there is a growing interest around the state in creating public art to be exhibited April 22 to May 7. In 2023, LAWN should bring a new array of front-yard projects and some recurring sites in Springfield and other communities of Greene County (and even beyond).

Past LAWN exhibitions have included sculptures, paintings, installations, video projections, carvings, social practice projects, and more.

LAWN was established in April 2020 as a response to Covid-19. The goal then was to create an effort to encourage artmaking and viewing as a form of bolstering mental health and community building during stay-at-home orders.

FINDING LAWN ONLINE

You can support this community project by purchasing an official L.A.W.N. t-shirt at greekcornerprinting.com, or by making a direct donation on L.A.W.N.’s website at https://sculpturewalkspringfield.org/sculptures/lawn-art-with-neighbors/ or @LAWNSGF on Facebook or @l.a.w.n.sgf on Instagram.

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