The sculptures’ public debut is Saturday, May 10 with a scavenger hunt called Go Plane Crazy!, an official event of the Wichita River Festival.

Sponsored by the Arts Council, Plane Crazy will be a major component of September’s Aviation Festival. This art project is the chain that links the spring festival, The Wichita River Festival, and the fall festival, The Wichita Aviation Festival together.

The program is based on successful projects in other cities such as Chicago’s “Cows on Parade” and Cincinnati’s “Big Pig Gig” which generated millions of tourism dollars for the hosting cities.

Artists were asked to submit fun, creative designs for airplanes to be developed from polyurethane models. Over 137 designs were submitted.

Thirty-two artists were sponsored by local businesses and individuals to create these whimsical sculptures. A $5,000 sponsorship funded the construction and promotional costs of the 8’ x 8’ planes.

The Plane Crazy sculptures are installed throughout Wichita and will be on display from May to September.

Location maps of the installed sculptures will be available starting May 10 at CityArts, The Wichita Boathouse, and various locations around the city.

The planes will be auctioned off at Plane-It Hollywood Gala Auction and Dance – scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 20 at Jabara Airport.

Seventy percent of the proceeds from the sale of the planes will benefit the charity of the sponsor’s choice. The remainder will be donated to the Arts Council to support regional art education programs and organizations.

Don’t forget about the Wichita Aviation Festival on September 18-21, 2003 at McConnell Air Force Base.