Celebrate Indiana’s bicentennial with the Bison-tennial Art Project.
People can now tour Porter County and see the life-size fiberglass bison that are part of a public art project to celebrate Indiana’s bicentennial.
There are eight of these five-foot tall statues in Porter County, tied for the most in a single county. Indiana Dunes Tourism and the United Way of Porter County on Friday officially kicked off the Porter County Bison-tennial Art Tour and made available descriptions of all eight of the bison and addresses for the seven that are available to the public.
“This wonderful display is a celebration of Porter County’s past and present, and a challenge to future generations to be inspired and engaged in their community,” said Kim Olesker, president and CEO of United Way of Porter County
“This public art project is a great way to showcase the many talented artists who created these unique bison statues,” added Ken Kosky, Indiana Dunes Tourism promotions director and county bicentennial coordinator.
“This is also a great way to get people into the communities and to beautify the communities through art.”
Indiana Dunes Tourism, United Way of Porter County, Portage High School, the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, Pines Village Retirement Community, Broken Wagon Bison, Valparaiso Community Schools and Task Force Tips all have bison, and only the Portage High School one is unavailable for viewing.
Each bison is unique. For example, one is painted to show the ecology of Porter County and famous landmarks like the steel mills, while another is painted with a bold American flag.
In addition to unveiling the bison-tennial art tour, Indiana Dunes Tourism also dedicated the Indiana Dunes Visitor Center Art Walk. People can tour the grounds of the Visitor Center, 1215 N. State Road 49, Porter, and see a bison, five murals and a bench painted my muralist Ryan “ARCY” Christenson.
People interested in viewing the bison in Porter County and the Indiana Dunes Visitor Center Art Walk are encouraged to come to the Visitor Center and pick up a free copy of the new Art & Culture Guide, which has information about the bison-tennial art tour, the art walk and other art throughout the county. The guide can also be viewed at www.indianadunes.com/destination-guides/electronic-guides/ .
The Bison-tennial Public Art Project is an officially endorsed legacy project created by the Indiana Association of United Ways and Indiana’s Bicentennial Commission.
The purpose of the art tour is to celebrate Indiana’s 200th birthday and get the communities and individuals involved.
