Sculpture shows Delay’s big heart

It was her goal to do something different, something that would honor Hebron resident Steve Delay and so, Cindy Chinn, a versatile artist living and working in the former Chester school, approached the Arts Council of Thayer County, the volunteer nonprofit group that operates the Majestic Theatre.

“He had left the theatre some money. Let’s take a little bit of that and do something to honor him,” Chinn said at the theater during a presentation Sunday.

A “cultural exchange” teamed Chinn and the Arts Council to host seasoned metal artist Jo Caminiti of Gippsland, Australia. That was the first step.

The next one was deciding on how to honor community pillar Delay, a teacher, mentor, friend and lover of history, the Hebron Bears and quietly supporting worthy causes, like turning the Majestic into a volunteer-run theater. He passed March 23, 2022, but left a local legacy that will infinitely impact organizations and his church, Hebron Presbyterian.

Chinn and Caminiti had about two weeks to figure it out at Chinn’s Center of Creativity in Chester. They had never worked together or even chatted online when Chinn with the Arts Council’s approval, cold contacted Caminiti.

“It was a great surprise,” Caminiti said. “I’ve followed Cindy for quite a few years and am amazed at the quality and variety of her artwork.”

Caminiti agreed to travel the approximate 9,000 miles to the small town of Chester.

“I said to Jo, you do a drawing, I’ll do a drawing. Then we will put them together,” Chinn said about the start of the project for Delay. “She did a drawing and I said, that’s perfect, let’s do it.”

They had two shifts going since Caminiti rises a little earlier than Chinn.

One day, Caminiti saw Chinn had welded horseshoes together to make clover shapes.

“And she filled them with the most amazing, unique designs,” Caminiti exclaimed. “I had to go shopping to fill in the ones left for me. It’s just been the most wonderful experience as an artist.”

Chinn said the concept of the memorial heart for Delay would develop by the day or sometimes, hour to hour.

“Jo was shopping for stuff we could use and half of my stuff that was in the bleachers is now on the floor,” Chinn said, sharing a chuckle with Caminiti.

The unveiling of the heart sculpture was Sunday afternoon with a program at the Majestic. During the program, Caminiti talked about her life in Australia, her animals, partner and of course, her art. She has been commissioned for projects and is currently working on one for Australia’s legendary Railway Dog.

In fact, Caminiti had told her partner Tony she wasn’t going to take on more projects and work on finishing Railway Dog two days before Chinn called.

For Delay, Chinn did have a thought.

“My thought has always been a big heart because he had a big heart,” she said.

She and Caminiti spoke in the portion of the Majestic appropriately named “Steve Delay Theatre.”

“He was a person willing to help in any way he needed, whether it was writing checks or physical labor,” Arts Council President Kristy Lukert said.

The sculpture, made of about 70 horseshoes with a sturdy metal base, will be placed in the lot next to the Foundation for Thayer County Health Services on the southeast corner at 3rd Street and Lincoln Avenue.

A flagpole currently on the lot will be removed and there will be new landscaping as well.