NASHUA – Members of the city’s arts culture gathered at the Hunt Community on Thursday to celebrate the opening ceremony for the 12th annual Nashua International Sculpture Symposium.

With community leaders, public officials, local business representatives and members of the public in attendance, this year’s artists were introduced.

With Nashua being the only city in the U.S. to host an annual sculpture symposium, the city’s marquee event has taken place every year since 2008. Three separate artists from around the globe are invited to the city to work on sculptures that will remain in Nashua, bringing new energy and inspiration.

The symposium endeavors to weave art and culture into the fabric of the community, as well as bring sustainable public art to the city, while educating artists in the community about the creation of major sculptures.

This year’s artists have traveled from as close Ohio, to the far reaches of Kenya and New Zealand. Each brings their own skill set and culture to the city as they set forth on their three weeks of creating works of art for Nashua and their residents, all while capturing the essence of the theme – Evolve.

Artists this year are:

• Jocelyn Pratt, of Putaruru, New Zealand,

• Gerard Motondi, of Nairobi, Kenya and

• Jon Barlow Hudson, of Ohio.

“I think my work is influenced by where I live,” said Pratt, who works as a modernist interpretive sculptor and will be the first artist involved in the symposium to use marble as the medium, “and also influenced by, I guess, my experiences in life.”

“I think people think differently and some people might question what’s the view around why it’s been created,” she added as to how a individuals perceive art, “and where that person comes from and why did they bring that here.”

Pratt whose work is described as tactile, as well as restful and gentle, said the sculpture she will be creating, called “A Bird Dreaming 2,” will emphasize the impact humans have on their environment, and how that changes as the humans evolve as a society.

Motondi, another traveled international artist with public work displayed around the world – including, China, Israel, Russia, Canada and the U.S., among many more, has a master’s degree in fine art.

He said his sculpture, which he is calling “Germination of Spirit,” is the embodiment of a philosophy in which whatever one does in life comes from within.

“When people happen to see it, then this makes a decision on whatever we are doing,” Motondi said about his work. “It is from within that we are able to move and access everything.”

Hailing from Ohio, Hudson – who lived in Saudi Arabia for three years as a child – is an adept sculptor, able to design a piece of art with its surrounding architecture and environment.

“It’s very important cultural activity and legacy. It brings people from other perspectives around the world, literally, to come perceive Nashua and share their perception of Nashua,” Hudson, who has public artwork displayed in 25 different countries, said.

With his sculpture, which is named “Cloud Hands,” consisting of a stainless steel base having blocks of granite as offshoots, Hudson said his sculpture is comparable to a seed growing and evolving.

During the next three weeks, the three artists will work on their pieces at Picker Artists Studios, 3 Pine St.

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