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2011 Art on the River ExhibitionCity of Dubuque .Arts & CuCturaC Affairs Advisory Commission March 25, 2011 The Honorable Mayor and City Council City of Dubuque 50 W. 13 Street Dubuque, IA 52001 Re: Approval of 2011 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 2011 Art on the River Competition. Background The City is in the fifth year of the Art on the River Program. The 2010 -2011 Exhibit, consisting of ten works of sculpture in the Port of Dubuque, will be on display through June 2011. In January, the "Call for Sculptors" for the 2011 -2012 Art on the River Exhibition was sent to several hundred artists, advertised in various on -line art opportunities web sites, and advertised locally. This year, there were 70 entries from 40 artists from 11 different states and one international entry from Japan. The 2011 Art on the River Exhibition will be installed in July 2011, with the date for the opening event scheduled for Thursday, July 14th. The Art on the River process is overseen by the Art on the River Committee which is comprised of Arts Commissioners, arts educators, a representative from the Dubuque Museum of Art, local artists and city staff. 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 and to select different jury members each year, typically one from the Dubuque area and two from out of the area. Discussion A panel of three credentialed jurors reviews the artist applications and makes a recommendation to the Commission and the City Council on the selection of artwork. The jury made their selections of art work for the 2011 exhibition on March 14, 2011. Jurors for the new exhibit are: John Anderson - Bricker, Dubuque,. IA, is a former art educator and now full -time local sculptor, painter and community art leader. He won the Best of Show award for his work Ring Toss in the 2010 -2011 Art on the River exhibit. Lynette Pohlman, Ames, IA, is Director and Chief Curator of the University Museums at Iowa State University. She has curated and installed over 600 art exhibitions and oversees the University's collection of 600 public works of art. Karin Wolf, Madison, WI, is the Arts Program Administrator for the City of Madison. She manages the City's arts grants, runs the gallery spaces, stewards the City's permanent collection of art, and handles the administration of new public art projects. The jury selected 10 works and three alternates. Attachment 1 provides details on each of the works of sculpture including the title, artist, description of the art work, and images of each work. Selections are: Exhaling Dissolution, Sarah Deppe, Maquoketa, IA Martyr Dress #1, Jennifer Hecker, Brockport, New York 7:45 and Don't Be Late, John Martinson, Galena, Illinois Remembrance Volume 1, Marcia McEachron, Minneapolis, MN Mohawk, Donald Noon, Streator, IL Stride, Beth Nybeck, Kansas City, MO Whispering Stones, Kees Ouwens, Seiyo City, Japan Wishing Well, Jeremy Rudd, Dyersville, Iowa The Sinking of the S.S. Innocence, Jason Sandberg, Madison, WI Trickledown, Gail Simpson and Aristotle Georgiades, Stoughton, WI Alternate Selections: 25 or 6 to 4, Jaak Kindberg, Greenwood, Arkansas Twist and Shout, Andrew Arvanetes, Chicago, IL Asteray, Nicole Beck, Chicago, IL The jury has also made recommendations on siting the works along the Riverwalk and at the Grand River Center. On March 15 the Art on the River Committee voted unanimously to approve the jury's selections. On March 22, the Arts and Cultural Affairs Advisory Commission voted unanimously to approve the jury's selections of works of sculpture for the 2011 -2012 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 2011. Recommendation The Arts and Cultural Affairs Commission is recommending that the City Council concur with the 2011 Art on the River jury selection for outdoor sculpture at the Port of Dubuque. Sincerely, Geri Shafer Chairperson Arts and Cultural Affairs Advisory Commission Attachment 2 Ar RIVET 2011 Selected Works Mohawk Donald NoonT Streator, Illinois P Scale: 8 foot wide x 14 foot deep x 9 foot 3 inches high Material: Cor -ten steel Weight: 4,000 lbs Artist Bio: Don Noon was born and resides in Streator, Illinois. Don received an AS from Illinois Valley Community College.. Then studied Fine Arts at Illinois State University earning a BS in FINE Arts studying under sculptors Barry Tinsley and Keith Knoblock. In 1979 he earned an MFA in sculpture from Indiana University. He was awarded a Ford fellowship in 1977 1978. In addition he was a graduate assistant assigned to sculptor Jerry Jacquard. Don also worked as an assistant to sculptor Barry Tinsley and to sculptor Tom Gibbs on various projects, throughout various years. Don is also employed as a welder by the Caterpillar Company in the Aurora plant. Artist Statement: "Mohawk" 2007, culminates the final sculpture in the "Utica" series "Totem" 2002, "War Dance " 2003, "Utica" 2005, and finally "Mohawk" 2007. The theme of this series comes from the Native American legend of "Starved Rock" and the large Native American Indian village that was established on the banks of the Illinois River, which is now near present day Utica, Illinois. The sculpture strives to evoke in the viewer, reflection of Native American culture through the use of amorphous shapes, to create in the viewer's minds eye images stemming from Native American culture. The theme to evoke these images is a balance between them and the sculptural quality of movement and the dynamics of interaction of form, space and textural qualities of the material. Many hikes through this area of Illinois during my youth and adult life, always tend to make myself reflect on a past time when our country was in infancy. The land was pristine and in a virgin state, occupied by a people living in balance with nature, but still dealing in human conflicts and perils, that we to this day still endure. Most of these native people are not just voices in the wind, as we all will be sometime in our own lives. In this series 1 strive to catch in the viewer a small reflection, a voice in the wind of a time now gone. Trickledown Gail Simpson and Aristotle Georgiades Stoughton, Wisconsin Scale: 8 foot wide x 18 foot deep x 8 foot high Material: Cedar Steel, mulch & sand Weight:: 1,000 Ibs Artists Bios: Gail Simpson and Aristotle Georgiades are sculptors and public artists who work on projects individually and as part of Actual Size, a collaborative team. Simpson has an MFA in Sculpture from the School of Art Institute of Chicago, and a BFA from Washington University in St. Louis. Georgiades has an MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and a BFA from University of Michigan. Their public art projects can be seen in Oregon, Washington, Wisconsin, Kansas, Chicago and other locations nationally, and they have done temporary projects around the United States and Europe. Their work is site specific and often architecturally integrated, using materials such as metal, concrete and glass. It is usually characterized by a strong profile, excellent craftsmanship, and the ability to change as a viewer walks past, creating a sense of discovery and interest upon repeated viewing. The artists are committed to the collaborative process and are interested in what artist/citizens can contribute to public space and to public life. They have resided in Stoughton, Wisconsin since 2000 and both teach at the University of Wisconsin - Madison Artists Statement: "Trickledown" presents a contemporary update of a pastoral image. Inspired by the current economic situation and its effect on our communities, this large-scale sculpture takes the form of a tipped-over wooden bucket pouring its contents out onto the ground. A cluster of rooftops is bobbing downstream out of the bucket and collecting in puddles at the mouth of the sculpture. Reminiscent of folklore and children's stories, the wooden bucket is warm and inviting. It is made of cedar held together with steel rings, using an old woodworking process known as "coopering". It suggests the tale of Jack & Jill, or the phrase "No use crying over spilled milk", and the initial playful quality has an undertone of regret. The "water" pours outward in a series of stepped radiating forms filled with sand. Embedded in the sand is a series of geometric forms that upon closer inspection will resemble the rooftops of the contemporary homes, with their complicated planes, gables and intersecting volumes. These rooftop shapes tumble as though a flood had deposited them there. We hope that the appealing, nostalgic quality of the sculpture is formally pleasing but also questions out assumptions about the stability of neighborhood, community and home. The trickledown effect of larger social forces into our own neighborhoods is the subject of this sculpture. 7:45 and Don't Be Late John Martinson - Galena, Illinois Scale: 9 feet 5 inches wide x 3 feet deep (at base) x 9 foot 5 inches high Material: Welded steel scraps & artifacts Weight: 800 Ibs Artist Bio: John Martinson was born in St. Peter, Minnesota in 1948. He has a degree in Sociology from Gustavus Adolphus College and studied art at U. W. Madison from 1974 to 1976. He and his wife moved to Galena in 1979 to operate the Galena Blacksmith Shop and Gallery. In 1986 he opened his own studio, which has grown to become West Street Sculpture Park, where original ideas flow freely into imaginative work of art. Martinson has produced a large body of work over the last 30 years. Artist Statement: Life is sometimes a hectic whirlwind of appointments, errands, job, family and friends. This clock shaped sculpture illustrates the commotion in your head when there's just too much going on. Martyr Dress #1 Ienriifer Hecker — Brockport, York Scale: 36 inches wide x 32 inches deep x 55.5inches high aterial: Lump charcoal, a bra, glue, resin, and paint over a metal armature Artist Bio: Jennifer Hecker has an extensive and diverse exhibition record that includes solo shows, commissions, collaborative installations, public art projects, outdoor sculpture shows, adjudicated exhibitions, and permanent collection. In 2003, she had a solo exhibition of her outdoor sculptures at Belmont, The Gari Melchars Memorial Gallery and Estate, which is part of Mary Washington College in Fredericksburg, Virginia. In the fall of 2004, she completed a significant commission for a three-part, site specific sculpture for Christ Church in Pittsford, New York. In 2006, her commissioned outdoor sculpture for the Village of Brockport, New York—Les Racines et le Raisons (the Roots and the Reasons)—was dedicated in Remembrance Park. Most recently (2010), she had a solo exhibition of mixed media sculptures and small scale bronze castings at Mercer Gallery on the campus of Monroe Community College in Rochester, NY. Jennifer Hecker is a Professor in the Department of Art at the SUNY College at Brockport, where she has taught all levels of sculpture as well as general education art courses since 1989. Jennifer received her MFA in Sculpture from the University of Minnesota in 1984, and her BFA in Sculpture with honors from the University if Illinois in 1980. Artist Statement: "Martyr Dresses" have a relationship to hair skirts worn by religious ascetics as a form of offering or penance. This dress made of lump charcoal is both a strapless gown and a funeral pyre. It refers to both the transience of beauty and the sacrifices made for beauty. Jason Sandberg Madison, Wisconsin Scale: 24 inches wide x 140 inches x 35 inches high Materials: Steel, aluminum, wood & enamel paint Weight: 200 Ibs _ The Sinking of the S.S. Innocence Artist Bio: Born in 1973 in Decatur, Illinois, Jason Sandberg grew up in a rural farm community. The son of truck driver and grain company employee, farm machinery„ tractors, semi-trucks and trains surrounded him. His family got by on a meager income and invested in Lego building bricks, Erector Sets and Kenner Girder and Panel sets. Sandberg used these kits to build entire worlds in the family living room. At ten years old, Jason's family moved to a larger house in the same rural town. Here he negotiated with his father to get a 10'X14" work room in the basement, and later an equal space in the garage. Once into the garage, he began painting and lettering for family, friends, and local businesses. Always attracted to things with motors, Sandberg began his first business in high school selling truck and car accessories, detailing cars, lettering and sign painting. Without plans for college, Sandberg joined the Air National Guard after finding out that he could be a jet-engine mechanic. After his initial military service working on aircraft weapons systems, Sandberg returned to his hometown and opened a sign shop on Main Street. At this time, he began college part time and worked toward a formal art degree. After six military deployments overseas Jason moved to Edwardsville, IL to attend college at SIUE. Between deployments, Sandberg finished his BFA and got accepted at University of Wisconsin — Madison. He and his family moved there while he works on his MFA Degree. Artist Statement: The sinking of the S.S. Innocence is one of a series of works exploring the relationship between violent childhood play and adult war fighting. My subjects arrive from toys and games that I played with as a child. My search looks to find connections between kid's play and war in America. We seem to have this myth of patriotism that allows children to simulate violent acts as long as they have a legitimized enemy. Changing the scale of toys and game pieces as well as altering their materials allows us to remove the object from it's "toy" status and confront it in other contextual situations. Remembrance Volume 1 Marcia McEachron — Minneapolis, Minnesota Scale: 4 feet wide x 30 inches deep x 7 foot high Materials: Corten Steel (Book) 14 gauge steel with inner supports, 12 gauge steel bookend seating structures with waterproof deck board for seat. Artist Bio: Marcia McEachron after graduating with a BFA in Drawing & Painting from the University of Wisconsin — Milwaukee, I took up the art of welding and artistic blacksmith. I learned the skills necessary in apprenticeship and practice with Master Metal Smiths around the country. I have a metal studio and exhibition area in Minneapolis since 1981. I create both large and small scale sculpture and have created over 20 works of large scale Public Art in Minneapolis and neighboring communities since 1981. Artist Statement: The work is inspired by a love of the physical nature of books and ;their influence on knowledge and imagination. I visualize the book as an iconic form. The bookend seating allows the viewer to be a part of the meaning. In my sculpture, I often integrate the found object with the formed and welded steel. The found object takes on a metaphorical significance in my work. Sometimes my work is painted and sometimes I leave the metal natural to color with the effect of the elements when appropriate. Sculpture is my passion and my life. Whispering Stones Kees Ouwens Seiyo City, Japan Scale: 300 cm wide x 360 cm deep x 360 cm high Materials: Steel base of bolted beams with steel rods welded on which on top granite stone sculptures are placed Weight: 2600 kg Artist Bio: Kees Ouwens is a self taught sculptor who has his roots in Japanese gardens with its abstract use of stone and placements and is because of this always looking for the natural qualities of the materials. He strives to bring out the stones natural features, sing its shape, form, hardness and usability. Working on the hardest stones such as basalt and granite, creating timeless sculptures and "spaces". Artist Statement: As an artist, I am always interested in creating a space with it's own unique atmosphere through using sculpture. The moment you place a sculpture on a site it changes and actually alters the surroundings immediately in such a strong way that if it was taken away you would really be missing it and the space in which it was previous placed would become empty and incomplete! This quality of sculpture of changing our view, our perception and experience of a place, is very strong and powerful and excites and gives me energy. To fully optimize this quality I have to make sculptures which are strong and will blend into the surroundings. Searching for work which has the quality of permanence, stillness and a balance that feels natural to me. Looking for the lasting and essential. What that might be I really do not know yet, the only way to find out is to work every day. During the process of creating my mind is blank, thinking of nothing. I only use my hands and tools not my mind. I do not have a preconceived idea or design, I just follow my intuition and get inspiration and guidance from the material I work on. Only through attacking, destruction and assembling of the material you can create and maybe make a discovery or find a touch of brilliance. Sculpture is created in only a brief moment of time and is not reproducible. VAT % " „1A /14,i WEa L ©r foz rim v R.la GL Scale: 6 foot 1 inches wide x 6 foot 1 inches deep x 10 foot high Materials: Wood & Steel Weight: 1000 lbs. Artist Bio: A native Iowan, I grew up in rural Benton County thirty minutes outside Cedar Rapids. I attended Iowa State University receiving my BFA in Visual Studies in 2001 with an emphasis on Three Dimensional Design. I completed my Master of Fine Arts in Sculpture, at the CVPA of the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth in 2005. I have worked as a Professor of Fine Arts at Lasell College Boston, MA and Bristol Community College, Fall River, MA. I am currently the Art Director for Divine Word College in Epworth, Iowa and am currently working on several sculpture commissions around the state. Artist Statement: My work has consistently looked to the landscape, specifically man's interaction with and augmentation of nature, as a source of inspiration. This sculpture is a visual allegory based on my observations of large scale irrigation well systems and the resulting land formations around them. This method of bringing water to the surface to support growth, often in arid climates, has become more and more prevalent in the rural agricultural landscape around the world. As humans delve deeper and deeper to satisfy the need for fresh water, we deplete the sources faster than they can regenerate. In life, as in the sculpture, the deeper the well the less area it supports, serving the needs of fewer and fewer at higher costs. Exhaling Dissolution Sarah Deppe - Maquoketa, Iowa t r ' -r x «4 14 1 ' "4 , +1 / • f � ' �" ' - - i � r' * ....All.-- •' 4l# a' y '��`' �fi1 �� J -.c i �r ,J'!„ i�'a .A�ist 1 ' � • r R • ',riot-- &.- k ` —rte �:'� ' ' � F .:. ,e may^ ` `; � 4! • J " Scale: 8 foot wide x 11 foot 5 inches deep x 13 foot 5 inches high Materials: Cottonwood bark, rebar, wire mesh, zip ties Weight: 900 Ibs Artist Bio: Sarah Deppe was born in Dubuque, Iowa in 1988, however she was raised in the much smaller town of Maquoketa, Iowa. Sarah has always had a strong passion for the arts. She has been drawing and painting nearly since birth. Later in life Sarah became very interested in sculpture. She is currently getting her BFA in sculpture from the University of Northern Iowa. While at UNI Sarah has earned a One-Year Department of Art Scholarship form 2007-2008. Sarah has earned a place on the Deans List in the College of Humanities and Fine Arts at the University of Northern Iowa from 2006-2008, 2009-2010. Sarah has also exhibited in 2007,2008, 2009, and 2010 in the Annual Department of Art Juried Student Exhibition at the UNI Gallery, Department of Art at the University of Northern Iowa. Artist Statement: This sculpture is a response to claims that capitalism is not causing climate change. This may or may not be the case, but to me, a main concern is deforestation and human's contribution. My aim is to give the Earth a voice. The bark used to create this sculpture was collected from the ground without harming any living trees. This sculpture uses resources productively without endangering the environment we depend on. Stride Beth Nybeck - Kansas City, Missouri Scale: 10 foot wide x 11 foot deep x 7 foot high Material: Mild steel Weight: 400 Ibs Artist Bio: Beth Nybeck graduated from the University of Northern Iowa with a BFA in Sculpture and moved to Kansas City after being accepted into the Arts Incubator's resident program. She works as a public artist and enjoys working primarily with metal. Her works are abstract and inspired by creating movement, animals, community life, and nature. Beth's work has been exhibited in Iowa, Florida, Kansas, Nebraska, Illinois and Missouri. She recently helped complete the 2010 National Special Olympics torch and a sculpture for Newark, New Jersey. Please visit her website for more information ww.BethNybeck.com Artist Statement: The spirit of discovery is one that needs to be equipped with courage. The journey of uncovering the unknown is filled with fear and excitement. "Stride" exposes the awkward isolation of moving onward as a unique individual Scale: 4 foot wide x 18inches deep x 7 foot high Materials: Recycled steel & stone Weight: 250 Ibs 25 or 6 to4 Jaak Kindberg Greenwood, Arkansas Artist Bio: Jaack was born in South Florida. After graduating from school he headed west to California for a great adventure and never returned. Along the way he has pursued many vocations including stints as a carpenter, drywall estimator, construction project manager, steel crane fabricator, bicycle shop co-owner, and commercial painter. All of these opportunities, including a degree from the U of HK, provided valuable experience that he has applied to his artistic endeavors. Jaak's work has been exhibited in a variety of venues including libraries, coffee shops, schools, nightclubs, festivals, public parks and galleries around the nation. In 2004, after a visit to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Jaak was inspired to do a series of abstract guitars. He has recently revisited the musical instrument series by doing a cello and upright bass guitar with other works in progress. His ten feel tall "air Bass Guitar" is on permanent display in Ames, Iowa. He is currently a full-time artist living and creating sculptures, paintings and photography in Greenwood, AR Artist Statement: This sculpture is a whimsical tribute to a famous song written and recorded by the band Chicago. The hands on the watch will be placed at the correct time when the sculpture is installed. Please note that this sculpture had not been clear coated when the photographs were taken. Scale: 4 foot wide x 4 foot deep x 9 foot high Materials: Stainless steel Weight: 700 lbs. Twist and Shout Andrew Arvanetes Chicago, Illinois Artist Bio: Andres Arvanetes is from the Chicago area and holds BFA and MFA degrees from Northern Illinois University. Working in stainless steel, bronze and mild steel, Arvanetes has fabricated large outdoor sculptures, gallery-size work as well as low- relief wall constructions for over 25 years. He has exhibited his work throughout the United States, participating in exhibitions, competitions and public art projects. His work is included in numerous public and private collections. Arvanetes has recently returned to his Chicago roots after residing and operating sculpture studios elsewhere for many years. "Growing up in the Chicago area during the 1960's, I was exposed to a wide range of experiences. Most memorable were trips to the museums, White Sox games and to O'Hare Airport — just to watch the jets take off and land. For a couple years, (1964/1965), my family lived north of New York City. During this time I was fortunate to visit the New York World's Fair in Flushing Meadows. From the Unisphere to the General Motors Futurama exhibit, many trip to the Fair created a lasting impression. I became fascinated with jet packs, flying cars, monorails, rockets, moon bases and robots...the 1960's version of our "future". As an adult, I have become equally fascinated with the art and Architecture of ancient civilizations. I have traveled extensively in the last 15 years, visiting and experiencing at least 22 countries. My favorite destinations have always included excursions to the archaeological sites. Memories of all of these experiences, both from childhood and as an adult, play an important role in the imagery found in my sculpture" Artist Statement: My works are narrative in nature and employ a vocabulary of architecture and mechanics to describe a vision forged from the imagination and cast with optimism. This sculpture, "Twist and Shout" reflects a personal celebration of my return to the Midwest after living so many years away from my home. W Aste ray Nicole Beck Chicago, Illinois Scale: 4 foot wide x 17 foot high Materials: Stainless steel & Power Coated Steel Weight: 1200 Ibs Artist Bio: Nicole Beck has completed many public sculpture commissions and is exhibited nationwide. At the heart of her work beats the rhythm and beauty of the dynamic systems found in nature and the sciences. Diverse materials balance form with ideas. The elements in her work fuse to create quirky & beautiful poems in space. Beck has a hands-on approach in the construction of her sculptures and believes that process constitutes the work. The repertoire of media includes steel, glass, wood, fiberglass, mosaic and painted murals. Nicole is also very active in creating, collaborative murals and mosaics for public spaces with diverse groups of apprentice artist recruited from within the communities. Numerous projects include development of curricula that delves deep into all aspects of the community that inspires & informs the artworks. Artist Statement: At the heart of Nicole Beck's artwork beats the rhythm and beauty of the dynamic systems found in nature and the sciences. Beauty & Physics balance form with the concept. Beck's poetic forms are well crafted, but quirky. Asteray — a dynamic organic form that suggests flora, fauna and/or perhaps a comet just prior to earthly impact. The stainless steel tubing is constructed very solidly and stable but reads as delicate linear line work as sites most appropriately in an open landscape.