Art on the River - Arts and Cultural Affairs Advisory Commission Copyright 2014
City of Dubuque Action Items # 5.
ITEM TITLE: Art on the River - Arts and Cultural Affairs Advisory Commission
Recommendation
SUMMARY: The Arts and Cultural Affairs Advisory Commission is recommending that
the City Council concur with the 2015 Art on the River jury selections and
recommendations for outdoor sculpture at the Port of Dubuque.
SUGGESTED DISPOSITION: Suggested Disposition: Receive and File; Concur
ATTACHMENTS:
Description Type
❑ Arts Commission Memo Staff Memo
❑ FY16 Winning Submissions Supporting Documentation
City of Dubuque C�
Arts CuLturaL A f falr.S Advisory Commission
March 12, 2015
The Honorable Mayor and City Council
City of Dubuque
50 W.13th Street
Dubuque, IA 52001
Re: Approval of 2015 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 2015 Art on the River Competition.
Background
The City is currently in the ninth year of the Art on the River Program. The 2014 Exhibit,
consisting of works of sculpture in the Port of Dubuque, will be on display through June 2015.
In December, the "Call for Sculptors" for the 2015-2016 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 30 entries from 17 artists. The
2015 Art on the River Exhibition will be installed in June 2015, with the date for the opening
event scheduled for Thursday, June 18, 2015, at 5-7 p.m. at the Grand River Center.
The Art on the River process is overseen by a collaborative effort of 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 2015 exhibition on February 23, 2015. Jurors for the
new exhibit are:
• Martin Arthur, is the Cultural Programs Supervisor for the City of Cedar Falls and the
Director for the Hearst Center for the Arts. Martin was formerly the Executive Director of
Arts on Grand and the president of the Spencer Alliance for a Creative Economy in
Spencer, IA. Martin is a former member of the Iowa Writers Workshop and a graduate
1
of the University of Iowa. Martin brings with him years of experience in the arts as a
patron, board member and arts center director.
• Concetta Morales, is an artist living in Des Moines, IA. She received her BS from
Skidmore College and MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Her work
can be seen at the Iowa Department of Transportation's Mitchellville Interstate 80 Rest
Stop. Noteworthy public works include: "We Stick Together:Home, At Sea, Preserving
Freedom," the commemorative mosaic mural for the 60 year anniversary of the Sullivan
Brothers' death in the lobby of the Five Sullivan Brothers Convention Center in
Waterloo, Iowa (2002) and "Up, Down, and Around," a triptych mixed media painting in
the new gymnasium at Upper Iowa University, Fayette, Iowa. Garton Elementary
School, Des Moines, Iowa has a multi-paneled mural dedicated to the merger of 2
buildings: Garton and Adams Elementary Schools.
• Connie Twining is the Co-owner of Outside the Lines Art Gallery, located in Cable Car
Square in Downtown Dubuque and in Historic Galena, II..
The jury selected 10 works and two 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:
Winter Moon, by Ray Katz, Pontiac, Michigan
Victoria, by Chris Wubbena, Jackson Missouri
Green Piece, by Nathan Pierce, Cape Girardeau, Missouri
Quill by Dan Perry, Waterloo, Iowa
Coalesce, by Kevin Casey, Cedar Falls, Iowa
Onward and Upward, by Jeremy Rudd, Dyersville, Iowa
Wedges 3, by Matt Moyer, Columbia Missouri
Willow Dust, by Stephanie Sailer, Swisher, Iowa
Mines of Spain, by Tim Adams, Webster City, Iowa
Metamorphosis, by Jacob McGinn, Waterloo, Iowa
Alternate Selections:
Where is Your Lock?, by Zach Bowman, Ankeny, Iowa
Always the Horrors of War#2, by Margaret Mear, Dubuque, IA
On March 4th, this recommendation was reviewed by the Art on the River Committee and on
March 10, the Arts and Cultural Affairs Advisor Commission reviewed this recommendation
and was in general agreement with the jury's selection, although they had some concern about
whether the image provided for the proposed sculpture Willow Dust delivered enough detail
and if the sculpture Mines of Spain was structurally sound enough to withstand vandalism. The
Arts and Cultural Affairs Advisory Commission voted 6-0 to concur with the jury's selection of
sculptures for 2015 Art on the River.
2
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 June
2015.
Recommendation
The Arts and Cultural Affairs Advisory Commission is recommending that the City Council
concur with the 2015 Art on the River jury selections and recommendations for outdoor
sculpture at the Port of Dubuque.
Sincerely,
Sue Riedel
Chairperson
Arts and Cultural Affairs Advisory Commission
Attachment
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River
2015 - 2016
Winning Submissions
"Winter Moon "
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Ray Katz,Pontiac, Michigan
Width : 10'
Height:
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Materials: Aluminum
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Artist Statement :
I have worked in many mediums but metal remains my passion .
Metal is best suited for my work because of its strength,
malleability and inherent beauty. I combine geometric and
organic elements to create compositions that convey the implied
energy found in my work. I use the abstract manipulation of
form and shape in space to create visual balance, using rhythm,
action and movement. The implied energy of my compositional
structures has become a hallmark of my work and is a metaphor
for an evolutionary process that I associate with human
experience. Through the creative process a hierarchy of
elements become symbols for ideas that are a tribute to the
evolutionary experience we all share in common on the human
plane and in the transcendent experiences inherent in life's
journey.
"Victoria "
Chris Wubbena,
Jackson, Missouri
` Width : 5'
Height: 10'
- Depth : 4'
Weight: 500 lbs
Materials: Steel
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Artist Statement :
Victoria, is a 10'h x 5'w x 4'd sculpture composed of
steel . The title references the Latin word for victory.
Within the architectural/geologic form exists
seemingly eroded strata giving the impression of a lost
triumphant past.
"Green Piece"
fiayE;• yNathan Pierce,
• Girardeau, Missouri
Width : 44"
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Artist Statement :
Dealing with issues of communication in my own life I
have realized this is a struggle that many of us
encounter. As I think about the idea of communication
I realize that I can internalize this issue, or make it as
broad as the world around me. How can we better
communicate ourselves to the world ? This is the
question .
"Quill "
Dan Perry
- = Waterloo, Iowa
Width : 4'
�1 ® Height: 13'
■ Depth : 4.5
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Materials: Stainless Steel
and Mild Steel
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13'h x4'w x 4.5'd .`
Artist Statement :
In the modern world, communication is simply at our
fingertips- perhaps influencing our perception that the
world is physically small . We can communicate with each
other more easily than any other time in our existence, yet
we are really bad at it. "Quill" explores the power of
messages and the effort needed to see them through .
The imagery in "Quill " draws from elements of domestic
life, such as a "Queen Anne" table, shifted in scale to
challenge viewers to question their own physical scale in
relation to the world around them .
"Coalesce"
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Kevin Casey
Cedar Falls, Iowa
_ Width : 10
Height: 8'
Depth : 5'
Weight: 750 lbs
Materials: Stainless Steel
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Artist Statement :
`Coalesce' is an abstract stainless steel sculpture.
Being abstract, this piece focuses on dynamics and
materials. The movement and shape of this sculpture
create an organic feeling, while the hard edges and
steely finish relate to the synthetic nature of the piece.
My goal while designing and fabricating 'Coalesce' was
to stretch and twist the material to its limit in order to
create a dynamic sculpture.
" Onward and Upward "
Jeremy Rudd
Jeremy Rudd
Dyersville, Iowa
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Width : 40"
Height: 97"
Depth : 36"
Weight: 300 lbs
Q Materials: Steel & Cedar Wood
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Artist Statement :
This sculpture represents a metaphorical landscape where
the man-made and natural worlds meet. The sinuous
stem of the sculpture is topped with the protagonist, a
small wheel and arm abstracted from large scale
agricultural irrigation well systems.
This machine is slowly creating a new landscape, drawing
resources and relocating them. The plane represents a
cycle through time undulating from thick to thin as the
resources and conditions would dictate. This spiraling
plane is made of wood, but wood that has been removed
of its natural qualities and tendencies to be organized and
made useful, but to what end ?
"Wedges 3 "
Matt Moyer
Matt Moyer
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Columbia, MO
Width : 8'
Height: 18'
Depth : 3.5'
,i Weight: 450 lbs
Materials: Mild Steel, 12
gauge, pipe
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"Willow Dust "
Stephanie Sailer
Stephanie Sailer
Swisher, Iowa
Width : 4'
Height: 6'
Depth : 4'
Weight:200-300 lbs
PROPOSED PIECE Materials: Mild Steel, 14-16
PROPOSED TO BE `IALL, 4'WIPE& DEEP gauge steel
RUSTED STEEL& PAINT
WILL BE CONNECIED 10 CONCRETE BASE WITH A STEEL PLATE&ANCHOR B0LI5
Artist Statement
"Willow Dust" is based on a grain of pollen from the Goat Willow
Tree. We often forget, as we travel through the world with our
`human-based scale', how everything around us is highly detailed
and intricately woven together. To us, they are invisible. But if
our surroundings were magnified, we would find an alien world
with amazing forms, textures, & colors, densely populated with
endless organisms and objects. A grain of pollen is incredibly
small and so easily forgotten, but an irreplaceable step in the
creation of life for the Willow tree, as well as for a whole
ecosystem. Realizing the beauty and importance of these tiny,
small entities is fascinating and humbling.
" Mines ofS
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Tim Adams
Webster City, Iowa
Width : 3'
Height: 6'
Depth : 3'
Weight. 1,000 lbs
Y Materials: Black Steel and
" ' 1 Native Limestone
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Artist Statement
This piece is still in the works at the time of this
application. The image shows the concept in process.
The layers of limestone represent the geology of
Dubuque and the 1" thick slabs of steel symbolize the
veins of lead. If you look closely as you circle the
piece you can distinguish the facial features of a
Native American miner from one angle and an early
American Settler from
another.
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Artist Statement
Much of my work depicts some abstract reality of nature/life. I work with
metal because of its durability and timelessness. I don't use any oils or
coatings because I want the metal to rust. I think that plays around with the
idea that nothing can "live" forever; all things decay and wither away sooner
or later.
This piece started as scrapes of metal being welded together. After a while it
become to look more insect-like and I was told to read The Metamorphosis by
Franz Kafka, because the story involves the sorrows of a man transforming into
a monstrous bug living with his family and he eventually dies. So that
influenced me to making the piece have more insect body parts but keeping
some human-like at the same time. This piece is exploring the idea of if the
man would have ran from his house and survived what would happen to him.
*4he
River
2015 - 2016 Alternates
"Where is your lock? "
Zach Bowman
Zach Bowman
Ankeny, Iowa
4 Width : 5'
Height: 15'
Depth : 3'
Weight: 300 lbs
_ Materials: Stainless Steel,
Mild Steel, Rectangular
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Artist Statement
Everyone has something, some sort of activity, thought, or
concept that really makes them happy. As a friend, family
member, coworker we all try to unlock that one thing inside
of another person that makes them happy. The key should
stand as a symbol to make the viewer think about what
really makes them happy, or better yet what will make
someone else happy. We should all try to find that
metaphorical lock inside each other that makes the feel
good times come alive.
" Always the Horrors of War " #2
Margaret M ea r,
_ Dubuque, Iowa
Width : 4'
Height: 10'
Depth : 4'
Weight: 300 lbs
Materials: Mild Steel and
bronze
Artist Statement
This piece is about beheading and the horrible act of war that it is and has
been.
Horse heads, instead of human heads, are used because we somehow respond
to animals before we are able to have compassion for people. It seems to be
less complex to react with pity to a cold, shaking, starving kitten, then to a man
who is also cold, shaking and starving. The human tendency to judge and make
an assumption tends to jump in. What did he do wrong? Maybe he deserves
not to have a home? Is he crazy? Will he hurt me? Will he take more than I
can give? Those beheaded journalists in the Middle East-maybe they took too
many chances? Maybe they did not have good judgment? But in the movie
"Warhorse" everyone felt sorry for the horse. In the "Godfather" movie people
remember the poor horse who's head ended up in that guy's bed. We need to
think about this tendency-we humans are also worthy of compassion. It is
more complex, but necessary.