ANDERSON, Ind. —
Levi Rinker’s family was no stranger to the struggle he had to get for fudning for his public art project.
At a wedding in the midst of the project, his cousin and his cousin’s wife heard about Rinker’s plight and wanted to help.
You‘ve probably never heard of Rinker‘s cousin but perhaps you have heard of his cousin‘s wife -— Suzanne Collins, author of the internationally bestselling trilogy “The Hunger Games.”
“They said they wanted to help,” Rinker said. “And I said, ’Thank you.’ It was nice that they came to me, I didn’t have to ask. It was flattering that they recognized this as something they wanted to be a part of.”
Rinker said Collins was happy to sponsor. But with so much advertising and “hoopla” surrounding the release of “The Hunger Games” movie, the couple wanted their Walking Man artist to have 100 percent creative freedom and not worry about glorifying the books or the movie.
The first statue went to Anderson Public Library and the second to Liberty Christian School, good fits for an author.
Although Collins hasn’t seen the Walking Man Project in person, Rinker said he knows she will take part in the tour when she comes to visit this summer.
“It is always great to support family and see their dreams come to fruition whether it is a small niece’s dance recital or having a book published,” Rinker said.
He pointed out that Collins and her husband have always been supporters of the arts and this is another way for them to carry out that passion.
Walking Man Project
‘Hunger Games’ author sponsors two Walking Man statues
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Walking Manifestival brings thousands to downtown Anderson
An estimated 5,000 people came downtown during Saturday's eight-hour Walking Manifestival. Twenty-three bands performed on three stages, with artists, businesses and nonprofits lining Meridian Street under sunny skies and mild temperatures.
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Festival celebrates Walking Man Project
The steel Walking Man Project statues are now “walking” up and down Meridian Street in downtown Anderson in preparation for Saturday’s Walking Manifestival, an event to bid farewell to many of the statues and celebrate everything the project has done, artist and project executive director Levi Rinker said.
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Five hours with The Walking Man
The Herald Bulletin has written several stories about the Walking Man Project but decided we should embark on the tour ourselves to give readers idea of what to expect on their trip.
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‘Hunger Games’ author sponsors two Walking Man statues
You‘ve probably never heard of Levi Rinker‘s cousin but perhaps you have heard of his cousin‘s wife -— Suzanne Collins, author of the international bestselling trilogy “The Hunger Games.”
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Brown first to complete Walking Man route
James Brown loves maps and meeting new people. So when the Hopewell Center resident saw The Walking Man Project, he was interested right away.
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Walking Man statues step out
Walking Man statues began appearing this week at various locations around Anderson.
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Walking Man statues have personalities
For weeks, artists have been creating designs, brushing paint and adding accessories to 10-foot-tall steel statues and now that most of them have been completed, their individual personalities are shining through.
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Walking Man statues unveiled
As part of the ongoing Walking Man project, a group of 10-foot-tall steel statues was placed on the grounds of the former General Motors Guide Lamp plant for people to photograph.
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Walking Man statues 'strut' around empty field
The Walking Man project, created by artists Levi Rinker and Laree Blazer, put 16 statues — 10 feet tall and weighing 250 pounds each — on display Wednesday in an empty field that used to be General Motors’ Guide Corp. Plant 9.
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Walking Man statues visit former GM plant
A former General Motors plant that once was bustling will see giant men frozen in place around its grounds today.
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