Quirks of Art recently received a grant from the Virginia Tourism Authority that allowed the gallery to create and install a LOVEworks sculpture.
The gallery, which specializes in American handcrafts, created the 8-foot-high sculpture as part of a state and local partnership to promote tourism, according to a recent news release.
The sculpture was unveiled in front of the store in High Street, and from there it will move to various locations around town until it returns to the Quirks of Art storefront for the holidays. This week it can be seen at the site of the Spoke & Art Festival on the lawn of the Art Museums of Colonial Williamsburg.
The idea behind the LOVEworks campaign is to attract tourists and promote family-friendly vacation experiences throughout the state. Locals and visitors alike are encouraged to take pictures with the sculpture and share them on social media with the hashtags “#LOVEVA” and “#LOVEWMBG.”
To further spread the message, Quirks of Art owner Jennifer Raines will be running a photo contest featuring images of the new statue now through Nov. 15, at which time one entrant will be selected to win a scaled-down 20-inch version of the sculpture, valued at $200.
“Tourism is a huge revenue generator for Virginia,” Raines said. “I think that we all need to continue to focus on enhancing the visitor experience while we have them here, and sometimes all that takes is a unique photo opportunity with their family.”
In order to enter the photo contest, snap a picture of the LOVEworks statue around town, use the hastags “#LOVEVA” and “#LOVEWMBG” and tag Quirks of Art using “@kinksandquirks” to be automatically entered. The winner will be randomly selected from among the top five most creative images.
