Lewes selects two artists for 2025 temporary installations
Artists Shelley Parriott and Nikki Lederer are coming to Lewes this summer.
The city’s public art committee has chosen works by both artists for its 2025 temporary art installations.
The Lewes Parks and Recreation Commission approved Canalfront Park as the location for three pieces by Lederer. It approved George H.P. Smith Park for a single piece by Parriott. Each approval came at the committee’s Feb. 18 meeting.
Parriott’s work is made of perforated, heavy-gauge aluminum, called a color field sculpture. Heidi Lowe, PAC chair, said they would like the piece to be placed near the corner of Johnson and DuPonts avenues, so it gets the most exposure.
Lederer’s work is called “Reclaiming Remnants.” The three pieces are made of recycled plastic bottles, designed to look like climbing vines. Lowe said they will be attached to the trellises behind the Net House in Canalfront Park.
Lowe said they will hang down so people can touch them. Lederer is expected to install them June 5. They are scheduled to stay up until September.
Commissioner Rodney Robinson, a member of the Friends of Canalfront Park, said the Friends group expressed concerns about placing art in the park. Those concerns arose in 2023 when the city installed a cement pad in a stormwater biofiltration area for a temporary art sculpture called “Paviljoen.” Assistant City Manager Janet Reeves said this year’s artwork is acceptable because it is not being installed in that area.
Lowe said no date has been set for the installation of Parriott’s piece in Smith Park.
She said Lederer’s group of three pieces and Parriott’s single piece will cost about $8,000 each. She said the city and PAC will share the cost.
PAC will further discuss the installations at its regular meeting at 5:30 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 26, at the Rollins Center.
At the Feb. 18 meeting, Reeves announced she is stepping down from the commission to focus on being assistant city manager. She had been the commission’s chair since 2020.
Reeves said mayor and city council is expected to appoint a new chair in the near future.
