Ballerinas, patient bronze dogs and mysterious water sculptures all are permanent residents of downtown Corvallis, and The Arts Center curator Hester Coucke knows them personally. She introduced some of the area’s most recognizable characters to art fanciers and the curious during a tour Thursday afternoon.

Coucke’s artwalk wound up and down Madison Avenue to give 11 participants a taste of the rich public art available downtown. Tour participants included long-time residents, newcomers and visitors to the city. They learned hidden details about the downtown’s abundant statues, photographs and public poetry that most downtown visitors walk by with barely a glance.

“Madison Avenue has a pretty high concentration of public artwork,” Coucke said as she led the group down the street.

Larry and Becky Vidrine said they came along to get to know their new home a little better. They moved to Corvallis from Tacoma last year to retire. Larry was on the board of the Tacoma Symphony, but hasn’t had a chance to get involved with art-based activities in Corvallis yet. They decided to take the art walk to get a better idea of the area’s art scene.

“The whole idea sounded intriguing,” Becky Vidrine said. “It’s a way to get to know Corvallis.”

Knowing its art takes only a little effort. Although some pieces are hidden, some are so popular that they’ve become Corvallis icons.

“I could safely say that the ballerina is one of the most beloved sculptures in Corvallis,” Coucke said as she pointed to a cast bronze sculpture by Raymond Hunter that is located in the center of the plaza in front of the Arts Center. The ballerina lost a finger two years ago, Coucke said, but it was seamlessly replaced by the artist — who also replaced a broken pine cone stolen from a nearby squirrel statue at the same time.

A majority of public art in the downtown core has been donated by groups or private individuals. Much of it is organized by the Madison Avenue Task Force, a citizens group dedicated to enhancing the street between campus and the riverfront, and The Arts Center.

“We know each other pretty well,” Coucke said.

The alley art project, for example, was a joint venture between the two groups. The project places art by local artists in unusual — sometimes even whimsical — places, including above trash bins in alleys. It was inspired by Corvallis philanthropists Jim and Ruth Howland, who got the idea from their travels around the world.

Coucke said the Howlands had the idea, “Wouldn’t it be great to do this in alleys, where you wouldn’t expect beautiful art?”

Those who make it a point to explore Corvallis’ alley gallery, streets and alcoves are amply rewarded. Downtown art treasures include short works of poetry made of enamel on steel panels, a bronze dog that children have petted so much its patina has worn off, and a series of water spout sculptures along Second Street that people either love or hate (Coucke confided that more people tell her they hate them). Some see them as everything from furled fern fronds to an abstract rendering of a huddled woman sheltering a baby.

But that’s what art is supposed to do; evoke reaction and thought.

“You don’t have to like it,” Coucke said.