Sept. 10, 2014

For immediate release

Contact: Sidney Levesque

Man in the Moon will be unveiled during ArtWalk

ABILENE, TX – The Man in the Moon will light up downtown when the sixth and final Guardians of Childhood sculpture is unveiled at 7:45 p.m. Thursday during ArtWalk.

The sculpture is made of resin and is 8 feet in diameter and sits upon a 15-foot pole, making the total piece 23 feet tall. It was created by artist Pedro Rivera and has the unique ability to light up each night.

The pole for the sculpture is in place at the corner of the T&P Depot parking lot at 1101 N. 1 st St. The best place to view the unveiling will be on the grassy area across the street in front of Candies by Vletas. Former Abilene Mayor Gary McCaleb will conduct the unveiling.

The sculpture, which was sponsored by Union Pacific Railroad, is the sixth and final piece in the Guardians of Childhood sculpture series commissioned by the Abilene Cultural Affairs Council in honor of the characters from the William Joyce books. Joyce was the featured author/illustrator at the 2014 Children’s Art & Literacy Festival.

In Joyce’s book, the Man in the Moon character, also known as MiM, was the first Guardian of Childhood. He lives on the moon and using rocks and bright sand, creates a smiling face to make the children of Earth feel safe at night.

As he grew older, the GUARDIAN OF THE CHILDREN OF EARTH knew he would need help, so he gathered the other Guardians and asked them to kneel and take this oath: “We will watch over the children of Earth, Guide them safely from the ways of harm, Keep happy their hearts, brave their souls, and rosy their cheeks, We will guard with our lives their hopes and dreams, For they are all that we have, all that we are, and All that we will ever be.” So began the Guardians of Childhood.

The other five Guardian sculptures, all bronze, were unveiled June 12 during the CALF. They are:

Jack Frost at the Abilene Public Library

Toothiana at Minter Park

The Sandman at 174 Cypress St.

Santa Claus at the National Center for Children’s Illustrated Literature

E. Aster Bunnymund at Candies by Vletas

The council raised about $100,000 to pay for all six sculptures, which are the newest additions to the council’s Storybook Sculpture Project. The Man in the Moon brings the total number of Storybook Sculptures to 15, making Abilene’s collection the largest public collection of its kind in the country.

The Storybook Sculpture Project walking guide is available at the T&P Depot and is online at www.abilenecac.org.

Mr. Joyce’s artwork will be on display at the National Center for Children’s Illustrated Literature until Sept. 27.

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