2006 People's Choice Winner: It had to be ewe

City Hall asked you to choose, and you chose the sheep. Of the 101 works of art displayed at City Hall during 2006, the one that appealed most to visitors – as determined by the votes they cast in the 2006 People's Choice competition – was the welded sculpture Three Sheep, depicting an ovine trio with wool made from thousands of quarter-inch-round iron bar and 14-gauge steel rings. As a result of getting the most votes, this creation of Benge Elliott Jr., a retired public-school teacher who taught art to junior high students for 28 years, has been purchased by the city and is now the second work in the City Hall permanent collection. Runners-up, according to the city's Cultural Arts Division, were La Silla, by Joel Salcido; Do It Yourself Icarus, by Barry George; Opus 97, by Peter Bellonci; and Golden Lotus, Austin, Texas, by Cecilia Ling. The 2007 People's Gallery exhibit opened Feb. 23 and will remain on display throughout the year.