Marshall County and the City of Plymouth will be commemorating Indiana’s bicentennial by installing a fiberglass bison sculpture in Downtown Plymouth. It’s part of the Bison-tennial Public Art Project, coordinated by the Indiana Association of United Ways.
Marshall County Museum Executive Director Linda Rippy asked the Plymouth Board of Works this week for permission to place the bison on the sidewalk in front of the museum, “There’s over half the counties in Indiana who have purchased the bisons, and the idea is for all the counties in Indiana to have a bison along the relay route for the torch relay, which will be coming to Marshall County October 4.”
Each county’s bison will be painted by local artists in a way that represents that particular county. In Marshall County, seven artists from Heartland Artists Gallery will be painting the sculpture.
Rippy says the area will see a boost in tourism from the project. “It’s just like the apples and the blueberries and things,” she says. “People travel to see this, and we thought it was part of the economic development just to get people in town. Because if we get enough of these in Indiana, this is worth people that enjoy driving around and seeing them and getting them to stop and eat in restaurants and shop.”
The Board of Works voted to approve the bison’s installation. It’s expected to cost around $2,400, which the museum plans to raise by selling sponsorships, although some city funding may also be used.
Rippy says the sculpture should be ready by Memorial Day and will be on display at least until the Bicentennial Torch Relay in October. It can then be stored indoors during the winter and put back on display each year.
