`Art in the Park' is set to sprout again.

Byline: Nancy Sheehan

WORCESTER - Neither wind nor rain nor totally clueless thievery can stop ART from winning in the end! ("Rocky" theme fades here).

"Art in the Park," the outdoor exhibition of sculpture that wowed and delighted thousands of visitors to Elm Park last summer is coming back, bigger and better.

So, got any good sculptures hanging around? You may submit images of up to three of your works to jurors of the show, which is sponsored by the Worcester Cultural Commission, ARTSWorcester and the city Parks and Public Works departments. The exhibition will run from July 27 to Sept. 31.

"There was so much positive reaction to it last year," said Gloria Hall, chairman of the exhibition committee. "I met countless people who said, `We're so glad you're doing this and I hope you to do it again.'"

The show had an educational as well as an artistic aspect, she said.

"A lot of people with children talked about bringing their children and exposing them to art," Hall said.

Cultural Commission members have said they will keep a closer eye on things this summer after last year's heist of a sculpture made of polymer material that was bronze - in color only. The thief, with bronze ingots for brains apparently, didn't notice that the piece weighed just a few pounds. The sculpture was never recovered.

To help ward off similar incidents, exhibition organizers are taking sort of a community policing approach.

"We are going to try to get people more invested in it so that they will be more proactive," she said earlier this week, just before leaving for a meeting with Elm Park area businesses in which that subject would be broached. "We're hoping they will kind of keep an eye out, and if they see something that they will call," she said.

In spite of the theft and a few other more minor acts of vandalism, the exhibition was a huge hit. Artists are being encouraged to enter large-scale works for installation on the grounds at Elm Park, to float in one of the three shallow ponds, or to hang from trees. Durability will be a factor in the selection process. Jurors are Ellen Driscoll, head of the sculpture department at Rhode Island School of Design, Michael Hachey, assistant professor of art at Worcester State College, and Beth McLaughlin, development/membership coordinator for the Attleboro Arts Museum. They will select 20 pieces. Prizes will be awarded for the best works: $2,000 first prize, $1,000 second prize and $500 third prize. All artists will receive a $100 stipend from the Worcester Cultural Council to cover the cost of transportation and installation.

Artists may be from anywhere in New England. Submissions are by e-mail only to coordinator [e-mail]. Review guidelines at http://www.ci.worcester.ma.us/ocm/economic/forms/ArtInThePark.pdf. (And please note this ultra-long URL is case sensitive.) Deadline for submissions is May 8.

ART: PHOTO

PHOTOG: T&G Staff Photo/PAUL KAPTEYN

CUTLINE: Kelly Le, 17, of Worcester, secures one of the decorative poles used for the "Hang Out your Creative Laundry" event at Elm Park in Worcester last year.