Art on the River Exhibition 2008 ApprovalCity of Dubuque
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~.YtS (~L Cu~turaL ~ alts Advisory Commission
April 29, 2008
The Honorable Mayor and City Council
City of Dubuque
50 W. 13th Street
Dubuque, IA 52001
Re: Approval of 2008 Art on the River Exhibition
Dear Mayor and City Council Members:
Introduction
The purpose of this memorandum is to request City Council concurrence with the
selection of artwork for the 2008 Art on the River Competition.
Background
The City is in the second year of Art on the River Program. The 2007 Exhibit,
consisting of seven works of sculpture in the Port of Dubuque, will be on display through
June 2008.
In early March, the "Call for Sculptors" for the 2008 Art on the River Exhibition was sent
to several hundred artists, advertised in various on-line art opportunities web sites, and
advertised locally. 67 submissions were received from 38 different artists from 15
states. The 2008 Art on the River Exhibition will be installed in July.
The Art on the River process is overseen by the Art on the River Committee which is
comprised of city staff, Arts Commissioners, arts educators, and local artists. The
Committee previously recommended to the Arts and Cultural Affairs Commission and
the City Council that a blind jury process be utilized to select artwork for the Exhibition.
Discussion
On April 21, the jury made their selections of art work for the 2008 exhibition. Jury
members included Professor Tom Stancliffe, MFA in Sculpture from the University of
Northern Illinois. Tom Stancliffe, a professor at the University of Northern Iowa, is an
artist who creates large-scale metal sculptures and has over 20 commissioned works
for public art collections throughout Iowa and the nation. Darrell Taylor is an intermedia
artist who holds BFA, MA, and MFA degrees from the University of Iowa. His work has
presented nationally in Iowa, Chicago, Nashville, Boseman, MT, Quincy, MO, Dayton,
OH and internationally in Fortmund, Germany and St. Petersburgh, Russia. Darrell is
also the director of the University of Northern Iowa Gallery of Art and overseer of the
UNI Permanent Art Collection. He also serves as a permanent member of the UNI Art
and Architecture Committee. Louise Kames is a professor of Art and Chair of the Art
Department at Clarke College. She received her BA in art and art history from Clarke
College, MA in art history from the University of Illinois and MFA in printmaking from the
University of Wisconsin. Louise has served on the Art on the River Committee and the
Arts and Cultural Affairs Advisory Commission.
The jury selected 10 works and one alternate. Attachment 1 is a powerpoint which
provides details on each of the works of sculpture including the title, artist, description of
the piece, and images of each work. Selections are:
Purple Haze by Jerry Cowger, Waterloo
Astroterra by Nicole Beck, Chicago
Tin Man by Andrew Arvanetes, Colleyville, TX
Winding Walk by Gillian Christy, Providence, RI
Animator by Marc Moulton, Statesboro, GA
Prelude by Stephanie Sailer, Iowa City
Germination by Glen Williams, Ankeny, IA
Immaterial by Chris Wubbena, Jackson, MO
Hairdo by Bobby Joe Scribner, Woodstock, IL
Polywoggle and Strands by Bounnak Thammavong, Iowa City (alternate)
The jury has also made recommendations on siting the works along the River Walk, at
the Grand River Center, and in Ice Harbor Park.
On April 22, The Arts and Cultural Affairs Advisory Commission voted unanimously to
approve the jury's selections of works of sculpture for the 2008 Art on the River
Exhibition. The Commission was very pleased with the quality of the art work.
Upon City Council concurrence with this recommendation, city staff will notify all artists
of the recommendation and work with selected artists to coordinate installation of the
artwork in July 2008.
Recommendation
The Arts and Cultural Affairs Commission is .recommending that the City Council concur
with the 2008 Art on the River jury selection for outdoor sculpture at the Port of
Dubuque.
Sincerely,
(~ I '
Amy ~eber ~~
Chairperson
Attachment
"Purple Haze"
Jerry Cowger, Cedar
Rapids, IA
4'x11'x18"-stainless
and mild steel
Price: $7,000
"At the end of a storm, the
afternoon sun was setting
in the west, dressing the
clouds in PURPLE HAZE,
well trimmed with ribbons
of fire. There is no way
any man can do justice to
a sunset, but still the heart
wi I I try."
"Astroterra"
Nicole Beck, Chicago, IL
8' x 6' x 6' -glass the mosaic
and enamel paint on steel
Price: $30,000
"Astroterra's outer panels are
glass the mosaics of the
cosmos-our own Sun, nebulae,
comets, supernovae, spiral
galaxies, a multitude ~of stars.
The interior panels depict a
brightly enameled cross-section
of the Earth's cores, mantle and
crust-our lithosphere. The
planes are pierced with flame-cut
holes that provide for the
passage of light to create
elliptical shadows that mark the
passage of the hours like a
sundial."
"Tin Man"
Andrew Arvanetes,
Colleyville, Texas
6'6"x9'6" x5'-painted
steel
Price: $21,000
"My work usually illustrates
a personal fascination with
all things mechanical.
"Space Man" is the 2nd piece
in a planned series loosely
identified as `Robots.' The
imagery reflects childhood
memories of heroic cartoon
characters popular in
Japanese animation."
"Winding Walk"
Gillian Christy, Providence,
RI
108" x 36" x 36" -stainless
steel
Price: $8,000
"In Winding Walk, the stainless
steel column utilizes several
architectural features
incorporated in a way that one
might imagine interacting in and
among the piece. The shuttered
window opens, allowing for a new
perspective of the current
surroundings. The natural
element found in this piece is a
feather that has landed, nestled
safe within the window."
---
_- .
"Animator"
Marc Moulton,
Statesboro, GA
10' x 6' x 3' -aluminum
and granite
Price: $10,000
"A line drawing that has
become dimensionalized
into 3-D.
In animation it is the
frames, the images that
move. Through movement
this sculpture is both
image and abstract linear
elements."
"Prelude"
Stephanie Sailer, Iowa City, IA
10' x 6' x 3' -aluminum and
granite
Price: $5,000
"This sculpture is based on the seed pod
of a false blue indigo flower, native to
Iowa. All life must start from such a
simple point, a seed. Cells gather
together creating blueprints for the life to
come. In my work, seed pods serve as a
beautiful metaphor for new beginnings.
Every fresh experience or new door we
walk through is a moment marked by
limitless possibilities, similar to a
seedpod before it opens. In my own life,
this sculpture marks the transition from
one stage of life to another, from a
college life to one full of personal and
professional opportunities."
"Basket"
Scott Wallace, Hendricks,
MN
48" x 106" x 48" -bronze,
pre-cast concrete
Price: $17,000
"Basket represents my
continuing interest in
objects found within
our domestic culture,
where ideas are
manifest through the
embellishment of form
and the exploitation of
scale."
"Germination"
Glenn Williams, Ankeny, IA
5' x 9' x 4' -painted steel
Price: $7,000
"Germination means to sprout
or grow. It is the process of
coming into existence. The
piece is intended to serve as a
metaphor for this growth as it
relates to the human condition.
Those plants that have to
struggle for life in the beginning
tend to become more resilient
as a result of that struggle. In
essence, .what doesn't destroy
us makes us stronger."
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"immaterial"
Chris Wubbena, Jackson, MO
4'x9'x3'-Etched steel
Price: $9,000
"The title refers to the idea that
material evidence becomes
obsolete and ceases to matter
over time. Within the
architectural/geologic form
exists residue of etched text
reminiscent of faded cave
paintings or eroded
hieroglyphs."
"Hairdo"
Bobby Joe Scribner,
Woodstock, IL
14'x11'x14'-
Painted steel
Price: $10,000
"The piece is very
whimsical, it looks
like a big flip hairdo
and each lock sits a
common or rather
iconic object, pop and
surreal!"
"Polywoggle & Strands"
Bounnak Thammavong,
Iowa City, IA
36" x 96" x 36" -
Painted steel
Price: $8,000
"Polywoggle & Strands are
geometric forms inspired
by Iowan agricultural
implements (grain bins and
silos) as well as Laotian
agricultural implements
(woven bamboo baskets).
They are playful symbols of
my Asian-American
heritage; like toys from my
childhood."
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