To commemorate The War of the Worlds radio broadcast, the West Windsor Arts Council in New Jersey is gearing up to launch a new public arts project and install at least 10 Martian-themed sculptures around town over the next few years.
It hopes to have the first sculpture in place in time for the broadcast’s 80th anniversary this fall.
Orson Welles and his Mercury Theatre on the Air chose Grover’s Mill, an unincorporated community located within West Windsor township, as the landing site of a fictional Martian invasion during the infamous October 30, 1938 broadcast.
There is already a monument in Van Nest Park, in the heart of Grover’s Mill, and The War of the Worlds-themed Grover’s Mill Coffee House in the Southfield Shopping Center.
“Public art can bring inspiration, connection and beauty to communities,” Arts Council board member Doreen Garelick told Community News Service. “By installing family-friendly Martian sculptures throughout West Windsor, The mARTian Project will help reconnect our town’s identity with it’s unique history, through art.”
There will be a stipend awarded to selected artists, likely $1,000, in addition to a featured page on the Arts Council’s website.
The application for proposals will be released online within the next month or so.
In evaluating proposals, there will be a preference for local artists. Adherence to the martian theme is a must, but that could mean anything from a spaceship to some kind of mutant pet.
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