Art on the River Selections 2007City of Dubuque
.marts & CuCturaC.~l
July 31, 2007
airs Advisory Commission
The Honorable Mayor Roy Buol and City Council Members
50 W. 13th Street
Dubuque, IA 52001
Dear Mayor and Council Members:
Re: 2007 Art on the River Selections
Introduction
The purpose of this memorandum is to request City Council concurrence with the
selection of artwork for the 2007 Art on the River Competition.
Background
The City has just concluded 2006 Art on the River, the initial year of the rotating
sculpture display in the Port of Dubuque, with an event of celebration and auction
on June 29, 2007. Nine sculptures were displayed during the initial year of the
program. Three of the sculptures were purchased by local buyers and will
remain on display in the community. Family Outing, a sculpture by local artist
Gail Chavenelle was purchased by Donna Bauerly and it has been donated to
Hillcrest Family Services. It has been installed in front of the Hillcrest building.
Seedling was purchased by Robert and Donna Wahfert and it has been donated
to the Dubuque Arboretum and Botanical Gardens. It will be installed at a highly
visible location at the Arboretum in August. Ferrous Fish was installed in a
private subdivision. Sod Buster was on temporary display during the Dubuque
County Fair last week.
In June 2007, a call for sculptures was sent to over 300 artists.
Discussion
On July 26, 2007 applications were received for the 2007 Art on the River
outdoor sculpture competition. A total of 17 pieces were submitted from 11
artists from 8 cities. On July 30, 2007, a jury panel conducted a blind review of
the submittals. The jury panel was comprised of the following individuals:
David H. Wells, M.F.A., Sculpture, Clermont Graduate University, has pursued
interdisciplinary interests as an exhibiting artist and curator for over 25 years. He
has exhibited across the U.S. as well as in Mexico, Japan and Czech Republic.
Wells has been a frequent lecturer for the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art
and UW-Madison and has been a guest artist at numerous schools and
universities. Wells is currently Executive Director of Edenfred, the creative
residency program of the Terry Family Foundation, in Madison, WI.
Thomas Jewell-Vitale, B.A. and M.F.A. in Studio Art, University of California,
Berkley, has been a professor of Art at Loras College since 1976. Jewell-Vitale's
art evolves from and certainly adapts to a wide variety of local and international
settings. Jewell-Vitale's art work hangs in major Institutional collections in
Washington, D.C., New York, Chicago, Aurora, Evanston, Cincinnati, Dayton,
Milwaukee, Madison, St. Paul, Des Moines, Dubuque, and a number of small
cities and in private collections.
Geri Shafer, M.A. in Arts Management, California State University, B.A. in Art
History (Studio Major: Sculpture) from Drake University. Geri is a member of the
Arts and Cultural Affairs Advisory Commission and the Art on the River
Committee. She is also a member of the Carnegie Stout Public Library Art
Committee and the Grand River Center Art Selection Committee. She has
extensive experience in arts management and development. Geri is the former
director of the Dubuque Museum of Art and is a consultant to arts and culture
organizations, businesses and corporations.
Based upon a blind review, the jury panel is recommending seven pieces for
exhibit at the Port of Dubuque. Attachment 1 is a powerpoint which provides
detail on each of the seven sculptures including the title, artist, description, value
of each piece and images of each sculpture. Based on input from the Art on the
River Committee and the extensive construction activity on the Port of Dubuque,
the jury also reviewed potential site locations for the sculptures. The Art on the
River committee and the jury favored grouping of the sculptures and a strong
preference to a pedestrian orientation for the placement of the sculptures. The
jury not only selected the sculptures, but they reviewed the site locations and
recommended specific sites for specific pieces of sculptures. The jury took into
consideration the relationship between the piece of sculpture and its
environment. A map of the proposed locations of the sculptures is attached.
On July 30, this recommendation was reviewed by the Art on the River
Committee and the Arts and Cultural Affairs Advisory Commission. The Art on
the River Committee was in general agreement with the jury's selections,
although they had some concern whether Viracocha was an appropriate
selection. The Arts and Cultural Affairs Advisory Commission voted
unanimously to concur with the jury's selection of sculptures for 2007 Art on the
River.
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 by September 14, 2007.
Recommendation
The Commission is recommending City Council approval of the 2007 Art on the
River jury selection for outdoor sculpture at the Port of Dubuque.
Sincerely,
Amy Weber
Chair
Attachments
2007 Jury Selections
July 30, 2007
• Title: Utica
• Artist: Donald Noon, Streator, Illinois
• Description: "Utica" 2005 belongs to a series of four sculptures.
The theme of this series comes from the Native American legend of
"Starved Rock" and the large Native American 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 reflections 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 theme and the sculptural quality of
movement and the dynamics of form, space and textural qualities of
the material.
• Price: $6,000
m
r
V
N
N
N
^~
^~
~~
V
V
~~
~.
~t~,
~. fz .
..~ ~ .,
~~
!I
' r~
MSOfficel.
T
• Title: Hairball
• Artist: John Anderson-Bricker, Dubuque
• Description: This sculpture is 3' wide x 11' tall, made of metal, concrete and mosaic.
• Hairball features three free-formed mosaic-surfaced concrete ball shapes suspended
from an armature of mechanical and structural appearance. Each ball's surface
contains both relief and mosaic designs derived from the animal world. The surface
designs contrast playful, uncontrolled and unpredictable characteristics of the non-
human world against the solid, heavy, and static characteristics of concrete and steel.
• Buy now price: $6,000
as
v
a~
d
^'-
^'~
^ ~
V
V
• Title: Escapade
• Artist: Bruce White, DeKalb, Illinois
• Description: 13'6" aluminum sculpture
• The look is its own unique statement and should be enjoyed for its own original
image.
• Buy now price: $18,000
d
v
m
m
d
ca
v
W
Title: Meandering Channel
Artist: Carl Rogers, Johnston, Iowa
Description: 8' x 7-6" x 4' sandblasted coated steel and native limestone
This piece of sculpture is to be built as a marker of fluvial systems and river
hydrology. As rivers age and form, the flow of water sculpts the bank of meandering
through the welcoming earth. The bend in the stream deposits alluvium and cuts the
outer bank into a spiral arching countour. Meanding Channel is constructed of
welded steel and recalls the meandering narrative and natural countour of a river
oxbow. The native limestone bed resonates the surrounding geology of Dubuque
and serves as the basin for the steel sculpture.
Buy Now Price: $15,000
"Meandering Channel" Selected
.~
~~
~~
~~
~t
~~.
`.~ ~a
~~ _ ~'' ~.
~~
..~'
_, .~ ~ ,-
~~ . ~ ,~
• Title: Rio Corriente
• Artist: Jim Ehlinger, Dubuque, Iowa
Description: Rio Corriente celebrates the power and majesty of the Mississippi River.
Bright stainless steel mimics the reflective quality of water, bringing local color to
enhance the piece. The undulating shapes of the steel call to mind the waves,
currents and swirls of the water. Its vessel-like shape reminds us of the important
role the Mississippi plays in the commerce, not only of Dubuque, but of the whole tri-
state area.
• Buy Now Price: $3,800
m
v
m
d
~+
L
L
O
U
O
._
OC
V
V
Title: Waking
Artist: Stephanie Sailer, Cedar Falls, IA
Description: Waking represents a seed pod, recently unfurled. Within a small, tough
shell lies the potential for expansive growth. Though life is complex and intricate, it
always begins simply, similar to a hardy tree budding from a small seed.
Buy now price: $2,000
"Waking" Selected
Title: Viracocha
Artist: Robert Thorpe, Cedar Rapids, IA
Description: 7'2" sculpture of steel, stainless steel, aluminum and brass
Viracocha is part of the artist's "stellae" series. The series is a relatively new one and
offers an homage to Native American art, especially the high civilizations of Central
and South America. It is made of 4 different metals for contrast. Both the front and
back have imagery that is similar but unique.
Buy now price: $5,000