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2014 Art on the River Exhibition Artwork SelectionCity of Dubuque .marts & Cultural _Affairs Advisory Commission February 25, 2014 The Honorable Mayor and City Council City of Dubuque 50 W.13th Street Dubuque, IA 52001 Re: Approval of 2014 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 2014 Art on the River Competition. Background The City is currently in the eighth year of the Art on the River Program. The 2013 Exhibit, consisting of works of sculpture in the Port of Dubuque, will be on display through June 2014. In December, the "Call for Sculptors" for the 2014 -2015 Art on the River Exhibit was emailed to hundreds of artists, galleries and educational institutions, posted on regional and national online sources, and advertised locally. This year, there were 83 entries from 53 artists from 20 states from Arizona to New York. The 2014 Art on the River Exhibition will be installed in June 2014, with the date for the opening event scheduled for Thursday, June 19, 2014, at 5 -7 p.m. at the Grand River Center. The Art on the River process is overseen by the Art on the River Committee 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 Advisory 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 2014 exhibition on February 24, 2014. Jurors for the new exhibit are: • Darrell Taylor, is an intermedia artist who holds BFA, MA, and MFA degrees from the University of Iowa. His work has been shown nationally and internationally. Taylor is the director of the University of Northern Iowa (UNI) Gallery of Art and overseer of the UNI 1 Permanent Art Collection. He served as the gallery's interim director before that appointment, and has taught at UNI as an adjunct instructor in art. As the gallery director, he is responsible for the planning, organizing, curating, publicizing, installing, and fundraising of nine major art exhibitions each year as well as the training of student staff. He also serves as a permanent member of the UNI Art and Architecture Committee, which fields proposals and commissions work for the UNI Iowa Art in State Buildings (AiSB) Program. • Rebecca Ekstrand is an Iowa artist with over 25 years of experience in site - specific public sculpture. She is a graduate of the American Academy of Art in Chicago and Sir John Cass School of Fine Arts in London. Rebecca has worked on comprehensive building projects that include art as an integral part of the architecture. Rebecca has incorporated terra cotta tiles, terrazzo floors, and wrought iron railings and integrated lighting systems as part of a comprehensive aesthetic to a structure site. In addition, she has an extensive background in creating figurative works in bronze, stone and formed steel. • Mark Wahlert is the Executive Director for the Dubuque Museum of Art in Dubuque, Iowa. He has nearly twenty -five years of experience working in the arts and museums and has a M.A. from The George Washington University in Washington, D.C. in Museum Studies. He has previously worked for the National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium in Dubuque, the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C. and the Minnesota Orchestra in Minneapolis. He currently serves on the Art on the River committee in Dubuque and is an emeritus board member and past vice president of the Dubuque County Fine Arts Society. He has also previously served as commissioner and chair for the City of Dubuque's Arts & Cultural Affairs Advisory Commission. Mark has juried several exhibitions and art fairs, most recently having served as juror for the College Hill Art Festival in Cedar Falls, Iowa, in 2012 and the Naples (Florida) Art Association's New Year's Art Fair in January 2014. 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: Break Away, by Beth Nybeck, Kansas City, MO At the Water's Edge, by Zachary Bowman, Ankeny, IA Fly Away Home, by Andrew Arvanetes, DeKalb, IL Whirlette, by Bounnak Thammavong, Swisher, IA In Between Sometimes, by Jason Scott, Prairie du Sac, WI Portal for the Agrarian, by Greg Mueller, Spartanburg, SC Currently Bronze Anvil, by Peter Flanary, Mineral Point, WI Zodiac Totem 1, by Pokey Park, Tuscon, AZ Time Warp, by Thomas Riefe, Davenport, IA Journey, by Zach Schnock, Cedar Falls, IA Alternate Selections: 2 Cherry Bomb, by John Anderson - Bricker, Dubuque, IA Twist, by Mary Angers, Long Branch, NJ King of Prairie Town, by Nicole Beck, Chicago, IL The jury has also made recommendations on siting the works along the Riverwalk and at the Grand River Center. Since none of the submitted works are suitable for Site #5, the large grassy area east of the Grand River Center, the Jury recommended that the City contact artist Jeff Boshart to inquire if he is willing to keep his work there an additional year. Interstellar Naught by Jeff Boshart won the Best of Show award for the 2013 Exhibit. On February 25, 2014, the Arts and Cultural Affairs Advisory Commission voted unanimously to approve the jury's selections of works of sculpture for the 2014 -2015 Art on the River Exhibit. 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 2013. Recommendation The Arts and Cultural Affairs Advisory Commission is recommending that the City Council concur with the 2014 Art on the River jury selections and recommendations for outdoor sculpture at the Port of Dubuque. Sincerely, Ellen Henkels Chairperson Arts and Cultural Affairs Advisory Commission Attachment 3 Art the River 2014 Jury Selections 10 Finalists "Break Away" may.. ,.. "W folisittsetisi Artist: Beth Nybeck Kansas City, MO Width: 4' Height: 3' Depth: 7' Weight: 100Ibs Materials: Stainless Steel Artist Statement: There are moments throughout the course of life when one has an inner calling to break away from the pack. Once someone has broken away they have simultaneously embarked upon a journey that will be both beautiful and terrifying. This sculpture embodies the rush and the confusion that comes when one dares to run. The sculpture finds a balance between the known and the unknown, while developing a rhythm and direction. At Water's Edge Artist: Zachary Bowman, Ankeny Iowa Width: 5' Height: 9' Depth: 7.5' Weight: 400 Ibs Materials: Stainless and Mild Steel, coated penetrol Artist Statement: For this piece I was thinking about both land and water. Every place on earth has one of these elements. What's different about Iowa is it's spectacular resource of both land and water. Iowa has some of the best soil in world for farming and according to Forbes.com Des Moines Iowa was ranked best on their list of U.S. cities with the cleanest drinking water. started to think about the animals that live in both of these areas (land and water) and the most recognizable creatures I came up with was a bird and a fish. I then extracted different shapes and elements from each subject to come up with an abstract, representational sculpture for both land and water. For example, the elements I like most on fish are fins, scales, and the overall shape of the bodies. For birds I like beaks, feathers, and wings. Once the viewer explores the piece they will find details that relate to the elements mentioned above. Layering of metal represents scales, long swooping pointed shapes represents beaks and or wings, the overall shape of the sculpture is reminiscent of both a bird and a fish, the orientation of the piece implies flight, so on and so forth. By using simple shapes and extracting several elements from both birds and fish I was able to create "At the Water's Edge ". Artist: 1 Andrew Arvanetes, 1 DeKalb, IL Width: 6.3' Height: 10'6" Depth: 4'3" Weight: 700 Ibs Materials: 10 gage b Stainless Steel, Welded Fly Away Home -."1" • .v• • Artist Statement: Each of my sculptures can be described as a narrative, but they have become more and more autobiographical in recent years. This piece, as well as all others fabricated in recent years are of a personal nature, expressing my thoughts and contemplations. "Fly Away Home" reflects my current situation of being separated by time and many miles from those dear to me. Wh i riette Artist: 1 Bounnak Thammavong, Swisher, IA Width: 36" Height: 96" Depth: 36" Weight: Materials: 16g,10g, .375" Steel, Automotive Paint (ppg or equivalent) Artist Statement: A proposed sculpture inspired by the winged seeds of the maple tree in autumn. Whirlette simultaneously reminds us of the seed of a maple tree and the undulating waves of the wind; as seen weaving through fallen leaves. The seed is a promise of life yet to bloom; waiting patiently in decay. The oxidized seed portion of the sculpture exemplifies the decay of the husk. In- Between Sometimes, 2014 Artist: Jason Scott, Prairie Du Sac, WI Width: 8.5' Height: 11' Depth: 1' Weight: 304 or 316 Alloy Stainless Steel, 16 gauge sheet ranging 5/8" round bar A ,1 XV) Artist Statement: I am most interested in systems, both mechanical and organic, especially the gray area in between the two. Science fiction that has become science fact at an alarming rate in current times informs my work. Interstellar discoveries in ancient civilizations, such as Inca and Maya also heavily influence my aesthetics, as attempt to craft relics from the future. Portal for the Agrarian Artist: Greg Mueller, Spartanburg, SC Width: 7' Height: 12" Depth: 5' Weight: 270 lbs Materials: Re- claimed agricultural tin roofing and tractor seats, fabricated steel, cast iron, Velspar Industrial Oxide Primer Artist Statement: A farmer in Southern Minnesota once told me "working the fields wasn't boring; it was good thinking time ". Portal for the Agrarian is a tangible reverence to the Corn Belt work ethic of agriculture and industry. In my studio practice, I transform selected and rescued agricultural and architectural salvage into thematically unified forms. Although seemingly disparate, both agrarian and sacred architecture are the springboards for my architectonic compositions. Barns and silos, like churches and mosques, act as cathedrals in the landscape. My intention is to harmonize the faded and worn into the semblance of a whole, using a direct process to compare and consider entities not usually placed together. By entering and activating the spaces, viewers may complete the composition, inventing a function that follows form. To convey a subtle sense of wonder and surprise is the intention of every work. Currently Anvil lt�� /ye i° �.`y•h�`ttS=`t' i�•fo% s° k r F�4, °,��; '._. Artist: Peter Flanary, Mineral Point WI Width: 7' Height: 10' Depth: 4' Weight: 2500 lbs Materials: Cast Bronze 3/8" throughout, green /black patina, No Permalac Lacquer Artist Statement: The artwork has been exhibited in my studio's outdoor exhibit space in Mineral Point, but has not been in a public venue. The inscription "do something differently" is the statement. I feel that explanations may miss the point that the sculpture is first a poetic entity. An " explanation" should be predicated with a warning, that as soon as I say that the sculpture means "This ", that it may also mean "That ". That said, the forms are kind of a symbol, in this case the anvil and the star. Implied in these forms is a pairing and interaction of gravity and levity, a celestial and terrestrial arrangement. The making of something, the conscious mutability of matter, is the task at hand. Zodiac Totem Artists: Pokey Park, Tucson, AZ Width: 26" Height: 108" Depth: 26" Weight: 400 lbs Materials: Bronze Sculpture - Lost Wax Process, Patina and flowers Artist Statement: All the individual pieces have been cast as separate sculptures. The animals represent 4 of the 12 zodiac years found in the Chinese and Japanese calendars, though I have replaced some with familiar Southwestern animals: the wolf has replaced the dog, the javalina has replaced the pig, the puma has replaced the tiger. For the base, I began with carp swirling under a lily pad that has a frog sitting on top. Pisces and Aquarius, symbolizing water as necessary for all life, supports 12 animal years stacked on top. Time Warp Artist: Tommy Riefe, Davenport, IA } Width: 88" Height: 87" Depth: 169" Weight: 250 lbs Materials: Welded 16 gauge stainless steel 1111 1 111' A4+,ab!i air'�Y Artist Statement: When creating sculpture in my primary concern deals with the spatial relationship between the object and the viewer. I am interested in creating objects that are vehicles for observers to experience and re- imagine the space around them. My sculpture matter often derives from astrological events and natural phenomena, as I believe these subjects possess a powerful aura that flutters between the subjects of transcendence and scientific exploration. The proposed piece "Time Warp" is currently being constructed through the University of Northern Iowa Public Art Incubator, is an attempt to bridge the gap between earth and the cosmos. The form of the sculpture derives from the hypothetical astrological wormhole, which creates a tunnel that acts as a "shortcut" through a large distance of space. Similarly, "Time Warp" is a paraboloid that is being stretched between two different parts of space. The piece expands rapidly at one mouth of the paraboloid creating a seven foot spherical void that viewers can enter and experience the sensation of being engulfed in a vortex. The opposing mouth is cantilevered in the air and directed slightly upward eluding the form having extraterrestrial origin. Journey Artist: Zach Schnock, Cedar Falls, IA Width: 38" Height: 6'8" Depth: 58" Weight: 190 lbs Materials: .090 gauge aluminum Artist Statement: This work accentuates multiple facets of Iowa's landscape and relates them to ones own life journey. First, I digitally extracted water stream maps and used areas of interest from both east and west edges of Iowa. I think the aesthetic qualities of the streamlines also relate to direction, and where our life path takes us. Second, these ideas are continued through the "V" shaped base form, relating to a "fork in the road ". All of these conceptual facets bring together a sense of movement, flow, balance and weight, all of which are aspects we experience in our daily lives and beyond. This work was created at the University of Northern Iowa through their Art Incubator project, which helps artists and graduates by providing studio space to create a sculpture. This has been a wonderful opportunity to be able to still create large -scale work without a personal studio. the �Ivci 2014 Alternates Cherry Bomb Artist: John Anderson - Bricker, Dubuque, IA Width: 4.5' Height: 10' Depth: 4.5' Weight: 300 lbs Materials: Flat metal Bar Stock, Round Metal Rod, Sheet Metal and Oil Based Paint Finish Artist Statement: To be a metal sculptor means a desire to play with fire, literally. Thankfully, my parents curbed my childhood fascination with fire before anything serious occurred. Yet, as an adult, I experiment with its properties regularly when cutting, shaping and joining metal. Fire and smoke inspire interest because of its unpredictability, swirling patterns and ephemeral nature. Cherry Bomb harkens back to my earliest desire to play with the safest of all pyrotechnics, the smoke bomb. The Single Twist Artist: Mary C. Angers, Long Branch, NJ Width: 2' Height: 5 or 6' Depth: 1' Weight: 50 lbs Materials: Various Gauge Metals Artist Statement: The Single Twist is an attempt to look at what makes a line, parallel lines, a shape or a plane start to curve, bend, turn or twist. It is a handmade, rather than machine made, work. It is involved not only with naturally occurring processes but also mathematical ones. King of Prairie Town Artist: Nicole Beck, Chicago, IL Width: 4' Height: 11' Depth: 3' Weight: 1200 lbs Materials: Welded Stainless Steel, epoxied mosaic, solar panels, outdoor grade- stained glass lanterns, outdoor LEDs, Enamel Paint, Outdoor Grade Gel Battery Artist Statement: "King of Prairie Town ", c. Nicole Beck, 2012, riffs on a Frank Lloyd Wright wooden partition screen from Kankakee's Bradley House. The Bradley House is widely recognized as the first of his "Prairie Style" homes. In my design, elements of the screen have been pared away to reveal an armored knight intended to be an abstract portrait of Wright as a "King of Architecture ". The integrated lanterns are lit with low -watt LEDs and powered by solar. I believe that the green energy utilized in "King" would've been embraced by Wright in this day & age as his architecture was designed to exist harmoniously with nature.