The Wildabout Walkabout is an animal sculpture scavenger hunt in downtown Johnson City. In 2020, art students in the East Tennessee State University Department of Art & Design designed and fabricated the fifteen bronze sculptures under the direction of professor Travis Graves. Connect Downtown Johnson City and the Johnson City Public Art Committee coordinated the project, and a group of educators and a librarian from the Johnson City Public Library created the scavenger hunt by developing clues for the location of each sculpture.
Scavenger hunt clue cards are available at various downtown businesses and through curbside pickup at the Johnson City Public Library. The clues may also be accessed on the Downtown Johnson City website at www.downtownjc.com/wildabout.
The sculptures are located around the Johnson City Public Library, in and around King Commons, and along Main and Market Streets. The mural in King Commons entitled “Wildabout” inspired the types of animals that were selected for the sculptural works, and nearly all of the animal types chosen for the sculptures are also represented in the mural. Animal types utilized in the sculpture designs include the red fox, beaver, osprey, turtle, rock bass, ladybug, and cicada, among others.
Many thanks to Travis Graves, the art students, and others who dedicated their time and creativity to this project.
