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flossmoor sculpture gardens catalogue 2011 editor jan bonavia photography richard bumstead design michael cheney production kimberly richardson[close]
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history the flossmoor sculpture gardens program was established in 1998 through private donations and an illinois first grant since that time the flossmoor village board and the flossmoor public art commission have maintained their vision of making flossmoor home to a rotating exhibit of world-class sculpture in garden settings outdoor sculpture is installed in the village via a cooperative with well-known artists through a national call for large-scale outdoor sculpture the flossmoor sculpture gardens collection consists of eight permanent sculptures by distinguished artists bruce beasley stephen fischer richard hunt howard kalish terry karpowicz mark lundeen scott mcmillin and judith shea and two rotational artworks by artists bruce niemi and jack howard-potter p north 11 permanent rotational present commissioners jan bonavia chair richard bumstead michael cheney nancy disabato susan digiovanni jeff stevenson charlene stiglitz-gordon past commissioners pearl marciniak former chair 1998-2007 nina bliese 1998 2003 eleanor frew 1998-2000 kathy baker 1998-2010 robert wesley 1998-2001 locations of current collection 1 marmeg 2 intersections ii 3 uplifted 4 celestial trio 5 child 6 minions 7 on the edge of awakening 8 secret garden 9 survivor 10 ribbons xxiv[close]
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bruce beasley intersections ii 1998 bronze plate and stainless steel 12 h x 9 w x 2 d acquired 1999 location flossmoor village hall a self-described unrepentant modernist bruce beasley advanced the idea of sculpture with formal structures that could be simultaneously observed in multiple views his interests in natural science and technology inspire him to construct dynamic sculptures that expand into and envelop space he achieves this through the repetitive use of planar crystalline forms acting as building blocks for the complex structures beasley s conceptions and designs are aided by a sophisticated three-dimensional computer program that enables him to experiment with variations of an idea before actually building the components intersections ii is made from welded bronze plates over an extensive stainless steel armature the process involves cutting bronze plates and welding the shapes together at the same time that the bronze plates are welded together a complex and strong internal structure is built out of stainless steel this internal framework acts very much like a skeleton to add structural integrity to the sculpture after the plates have been welded together all the welds are ground and filed by hand to achieve precise corners and edges he then scribes lines into the surface the inscribed lines are like engravings on the surface of the bronze to give added energy and interest to the surface said beasley beasley was born in los angeles in 1939 from 1959 to 1962 he studied sculpture at the university of california berkley whose faculty at the time included artists jacques schnier wilfred zogbaum and peter voulkos throughout his career beasley has experimented with and continues to explore various sculptural mediums including cast aluminum lucite bronze granite and wood his work has been featured in numerous solo and group exhibitions and he is represented in museum collections throughout the united states and europe in 2005 the first retrospective exhibition of beasley s work was held at the oakland museum of california.[close]
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stephen j fischer ribbons xxiv 2002 corten steel 11 h x 8 w x 2 d acquired 2003 location sterling avenue at gordon street one of the first things you notice about stephen fischer s work is the craftsmanship of the piece he knows his materials and he knows how to create sculpture using those materials in this case the material is corten steel a naturally oxidizing metal that appears to be rusting but the oxidization remains only on the surface however this is part of the many contradictions found in his work the fine craftsmanship spent on creating the piece apparently left to decay another is the hard rigid nature of the steel countered by the fluidity of the design in the series of sculptures entitled ribbons mr fischer estimates he made between 40 and 50 in the entire series over many years he explored the idea of form in space and the reaction of the space to the form he also explored many versions of how to ground these pieces launching the sculpture from a steel or granite base and sometimes having the piece return back to the ground plane from which it was launched the sculptures aren t representational but abstract forms and at nearly 12 feet tall ribbons xxiv is an eye-catching statement and one of the more elegant pieces in the series mr fischer lives and works from a studio in sullivan wisconsin he graduated from the layton school of art and design with further studies at both the university of wisconsin at milwaukee and the milwaukee institute of art and design from this studio his work has been shipped through the midwest and the east coast and is held in both private and public collections.[close]
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richard hunt uplifted 2003 stainless steel 9 h x 4 w x 7 d acquired 2003 location flossmoor gardens and sculpture park uplifted is a stainless steel piece by internationally recognized sculptor richard hunt which is dedicated to his late wife lenore cartwright hunt hunt has experimented with a wide range of sculptural techniques challenging traditional boundaries with his rich body of work hunt has explored many historical and contemporary themes and his creations reveal the artist s profound insight into social and political issues hunt uses geometric forms such as triangles cylinders and rectangles to build the bases of his sculptures when creating his sculptures his goals are to balance formal elements to explore ideas about nature behavior and dreams to combine the tools and technology of today with the shapes and ideas of nature and to let the viewer decide what these shapes resemble one is motivated in the first instance by the desire and pleasure in making things said hunt richard hunt was born on chicago s south side from his mother hunt developed an appreciation of the arts while he developed a business acumen and interest in politics working at his father s barber shop at an early age hunt gravitated towards drawing painting and the medium through which he was to transform his own life and the art world sculpture he developed his skills at the junior school of the art institute and later at the university of illinois chicago inspired by the modern sculptures of twentieth-century artists hunt began to experiment with new techniques including welding pieces of metal into abstract shapes the artistic community responded enthusiastically to the young sculptor s talents hunt became the youngest artist to exhibit at the 1962 seattle world s fair a major international survey exhibition of modern art today his work can be seen across the country and around the world.[close]
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howard k alish survivor 2000 pigmented cement welded steel 18 h x 8 w x 6 d acquired 2000 location intersection of flossmoor road and western avenue howard kalish creates dynamic colorful and abstract sculptures survivor stands 12 feet tall and was fabricated using a technique kalish developed he applied pigmented cement over a welded steel armature using a polychromatic patina to create the organic form most of kalish s sculptures are designed so that the viewer can see through them the works are integrated with their surroundings and interact with the public to enhance their experience of the place the juxtaposition of the forms against each other and the background change as one walks around the scupture said kalish the sculptures evolve as he creates them i explore and express in visual terms connections many parts making a whole though the whole while complete always conveys a sense of open-endedness of further possibilities said kalish a resident of brooklyn new york kalish has worked with architects public officials and members of the community to create exciting public works throughout the united states he has completed sculptures for the state capitol in baton rouge louisiana florida international university in miami and the city of palm desert california.[close]
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terry k arpowicz on the edge of awakening 2001 gr anite and steel 7 h x 3 w x 3 d acquired 2001 location leavitt park terry karpowicz is particularly drawn to tension at the point of contact between disparate materials by joining irregular organic materials such as wood limbs or granite shards to machine-tooled geometric shapes of metal he creates actual or implied kinetic relationships among the elements of the sculpture the stone and granite sculpture on the edge of awakening was inspired in part by his fascination with the innerworkings of windmills and watermills which captured his attention during his studies in england karpowicz studied art when the theories and practices of minimalism and conceptualism dominated he was awarded a fulbright-hayes scholarship to study in england there he served as a millwright s apprentice discovering the beauty and craftsmanship of watermill and windmill construction a chicago resident he co-founded chicago sculpture international a group of artists actively committed to promoting sculpture in chicago s neighborhoods thereby introducing immediately accessible art to a broad audience he is also co-founder of the celebrated navy pier outdoor sculpture exhibit in chicago i am committed to public art and understand the issues particular to its creation selection installation and maintenance said karpowicz.[close]
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mark lundeen secret garden 1995 bronze 4 h x 3 w x 3 d acquired 1997 location flossmoor public libr ary lundeen s love for people sports and sculpture finds fruition in the exceptional detail and strong physical presence of his work my ability to capture a moment in time best describes my work said lundeen lundeen is more than an artist he is a storyteller he stages his realistic sculpture around the stories his characters portray secret garden is a charming life-size sculpture of two young girls sitting on a marble bench the older girl is reading the book the secret garden to the younger girl one page has readable text the other is a picture of a garden and gate a native of holdrege nebraska lundeen graduated from the university of nebraska in kearney before traveling in europe and the mediterranean where he decided to make sculpture his life s work he moved to loveland colorado in 1982 where he began his career lundeen is a member of the national sculpture society and allied artists of america his numerous accomplishments include placement of monumental and life-size sculptures in over 100 cities including statuary hall in the capitol building washington d.c the baseball hall of fame cooperstown new york and pro player stadium miami florida.[close]
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scott mcmillin minions 2001 aluminum and wood 15 h x 6 w x 6 d acquired 2001 location flossmoor gardens and sculpture park in his sculptures scott mcmillin records a journey of discovery for the viewer to experience his work explores emotional experiences that are shared by everyone using a mixture of found objects and handcrafted items mcmillin lets each piece grow out of his subconscious until fully realized as i work and re-work a sculpture form and meaning evolve sometimes the process is straight-forward often it is more complex said mcmillin chairs as metaphors for the human conscience are a recurring theme in scott mcmillin s sculptures minions consists of an elongated chair made of aluminum and elevated high above the viewer s head set on long wooden beams and a concrete base this focal chair is surrounded by six additional chairs mcmillin who lives in california graduated from california state university at fullerton he has shown his work on the west coast at various venues and has been featured in dozens of other shows including new directions `99 a juried show held at the barrett art center in poughkeepsie new york and a group show at the decordova museum and sculpture park in lincoln massachusetts his works can also be found in private collections throughout the united states.[close]
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judith shea child 2000 bronze 5 h x 2 w x 1 d acquired 2000 location downtown circle on sterling avenue judith shea s early training was as a clothing designer and she often uses clothing forms to represent the human figure her signature image is a hollow dress cast in bronze in the shape of a female figure this image like most of her work synthesizes figurative art and minimalism i feel that in my work there s sometimes a certain enigmatic quality an unresolvedness sometimes there s an intentional kind of mystery abstraction itself is mysterious child is the image of a little girl balanced on a boulder the girl s attention is focused on something above her creating a mood of awe and wonder it s a very simple form but i feel it was expressive of the basic ideas of the figure she s standing in the middle of the circle and looking up at either the trees the birds in the trees or the sky said shea she used various materials in creating the sculpture in order to create the effect she desired in the bronze the torso and legs were carved out of pine and the wood grain is captured in the bronze casting the head and the hands were made from an oil-based clay resulting in a smooth bronze surface born in philadelphia she earned an a.a degree in fashion design from new york s parsons school of design in 1969 while working professionally as a clothing designer shea went on to receive her b.f.a degree from the parsons school of design/new school for social research shea s sculptures have been exhibited in galleries and museums worldwide since the mid-1970s her sculpture is in the collections of the metropolitan museum of art in new york the hirshhorn museum and sculpture garden of the smithsonian institution in washington d.c and many other public institutions she has received many national and international honors for her work shea resides in new york.[close]
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rotational collection the rotational collection is comprised of sculptures that have been loaned to flossmoor for a two to three-year exhibition period the first two sculptures are currently on display the others have been returned to the artists.[close]
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bruce niemi celestial trio 2001 stainless steel 17 h x 7 w x 6 d exhibited 2005-present location flossmoor public libr ary stainless steel and silicon bronze are bruce niemi s primary materials of choice he fabricates the sculptures from metal sheets using welding plasma cutting and a pinch roller he textures and polishes the stainless steel with grinders and then applies hot and cold chemical patinas to add color to the bronze i do all of my own fabrication and love the process from start to finish said niemi like celestial trio the sculptures niemi creates are characterized by an uplifting positive nature his faith in god the power and beauty of nature and the energy and balance of dance it would be safe to say if you studied my art you would know my heart said niemi his purpose is to stimulate the mind of the viewer and create a sculpture that complements and harmonizes with the environment it shares craftsmanship structural strength and public safety are also important elements of his work niemi is a second-generation sculptor trained by his father frank niemi a self-taught abstract sculptor and ornamental iron artist at age 12 niemi learned how to weld and thus his love for sculpture began niemi received a b.f.a in sculpture from northern illinois university in 1981 and shortly thereafter became a full-time sculptor his work is included in private and public collections throughout the country niemi also owns and operates the niemi sculpture gallery garden in kenosha wisconsin which features interior and exterior sculpture by more than 30 artists.[close]
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jack howard-potter marmeg 2009 galvanized and powder coated steel 10 h x 8 w x 7 d exhibited 2009-present location flossmoor gardens and sculpture park motivated by his study of human anatomy and movement jack howard-potter creates large-scale figurative sculptures using steel which is an inherently rigid material i work to convey a sense of fluid action in space says howard-potter my sculptures seek to convey the motion of the body in extremely stressful and beautiful positions the moment that a dancer is at the peak of a jump the weightless split second before a body succumbs to gravity he chooses brilliant colors for his sculptures to add to the excitement of the piece and make them stand out from their outdoor settings it also protects the sculptures from corrosive outdoor elements howard-potter grew up in new york city where he was inspired by the public sculpture of alexander calder and george ricky and was exposed to dance and other performing arts he earned a b.a degree in art history and sculpture from union college after graduating howard-potter moved to colorado and worked with a blacksmith creating furniture and learning about the properties of steel he also studied the human form for two intense years with anthony palumbo since 1997 howard-potter has been creating and displaying his original sculptures throughout the world in outdoor sculpture parks galleries and public art exhibitions.[close]
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