Art on the River 2016 Jury Selections Copyright 2014
City of Dubuque Consent Items # 4.
ITEM TITLE: Art on the River Selections
SUMMARY: Arts and Cultural Affairs Advisory Commission requesting
City Council concurrence with the selection of artwork for
the 2016 Art on the River Exhibition.
SUGGESTED DISPOSITION: Suggested Disposition: Receive and File; Concur
ATTACHMENTS:
Description Type
Staff memo Staff Memo
Jury Selections Supporting Documentation
City of Dubuque
,Arts & cuauraCAffiatrS Advisory Commission
April 11, 2016
The Honorable Mayor and City Council
City of Dubuque
50W.13th Street
Dubuque, IA 52001
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 2016 Art on the River Exhibition.
BACKGROUND
The City is currently in the eleventh year of Art on the River. This exhibition exhibits work for
the period of one year at the Port of Dubuque. The existing 2015 exhibit, will remain on display
until June 2016.
In March, the "Call to Artists"for the 2016-2017 Art on the River exhibit was sent to hundreds
of artists, galleries, sculpture residencies, educational institutions, posted on regional and
national online sources, and advertised locally. This year, there were 50 entries from 30 artists
up from last year's 30 entries form 17 artists. The 2016 Art on the River exhibition will be
installed in June 2016, replacing the pieces in the current exhibit. The opening reception is
scheduled for Wednesday, June 22, 2016, at 5-7 p.m. at the Grand River Center which is free
and open to the public.
The Art on the River process is overseen by the Arts and Cultural Affairs Coordinator, Debra
Alleyne, supported by the Art on the River Committee and the Arts and Cultural Affairs
Advisory Commission. The committee, comprised of artists, arts administrators and city staff,
made recommendations that secured a blind jury process that is utilized to select artwork for
the exhibition. This process involves selecting different jury members each year, typically one
from the Dubuque area and two from out of the area.
DISCUSSION
The jury was asked to select the pieces according to their expertise while considering the
following guidelines outlined in the application and stipulated by the commission and
committee:
• Artists can submit up to three works however a separate application form must be
completed for each entry.
• Sculpture must be original.
• Sculpture must be suitable for outdoor display in adverse weather conditions - high
winds, rain, intense heat, snow and freezing temperatures.
• Sculptures will be located in high traffic areas with an unsupervised audience and must
be soundly and professionally constructed of durable and safe components and require
no maintenance during the display period.
• Works must be appropriate for viewing by residents and visitors of all ages.
• A work must be able to be installed on available sites, some in grassy areas, both
sloping and flat, and on a limited number of concrete bases.
The panel of three credentialed jurors reviewed the artist applications. In addition, this year,
they were asked to include a presentation of their selections to the committee and
commissioners. The jury and available members of the committee and commission met on
Thursday April 7, at the Dubuque Museum of Art to view the selections and make any relevant
inquiries.
This year's esteemed jurors are:
David Schmitz who currently serves as executive director of the Dubuque Museum of
Art, a nationally-accredited regional art museum in Dubuque, Iowa focused on 20th
century American art and artists connected to the tri-state region of Iowa, Wisconsin
and Illinois. As an arts administrator and museums professional, David Schmitz has
been active in the arts community. Most recently, Schmitz served as a community
resources specialist at the Iowa Arts Council, a division of the Iowa Department of
Cultural Affairs, where he managed agency programming, initiatives and outreach
supporting the development of the arts across Iowa. At the Des Moines Art Center,
Schmitz managed a successful membership and individual giving program, engaging
new audiences and utilizing the collections and exhibitions through member
programming. At the Chicago Artists' Coalition, Schmitz managed the Chicago Art
Open, then the city's largest juried survey of Chicago-area artists.
Nationally, Schmitz has been recognized by and served as a scholarship review
panelist for Americans for the Arts and has served as an alumni resident advisor for the
National Young Arts Foundation.
Schmitz holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Studio Art from the University of
Northern Iowa and earned a Master of Arts Management degree from Columbia College
in Chicago.
Gail Simpson is a sculptor and public artist who works on projects individually and as
part of Actual Size Artworks, a collaborative team. She has an MFA in Sculpture from
the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and a BFA from Washington University in St.
Louis. Her public art projects can be seen in Oregon, Washington, Wisconsin, Kansas,
North Carolina, Illinois and other locations nationally. She has also exhibited temporary
projects around the United States and Europe. Her recent projects reflect her interest in
landscape materials and the natural environment and her involvement with local
community issues. She resides in Stoughton, Wisconsin and teaches at the University
of Wisconsin -- Madison.
Leah Kolb Leah Kolb is associate curator at the Madison Museum of Contemporary
Art. Recent curatorial projects include Claire Stigliank Half-Sick of Shadows (May,
2016), Kim Schoen, Have You Never Let Someone Else Be Strong? (September 2015),
Narayan Mahon: Lands in Limbo (December 2014), Jason Yi. A Fragile Permanence
(June 2014), and I Dream Too Much: Paintings by Leslie Smith ill(2013). She has also
worked with MMoCA director Stephen Fleischman on Eric and Heather ChanSchatz,
22nd Century(February 2015) and with senior curator Richard Axsorn on the travelling
exhibition and accompanying catalogue raisonn6 Frank Stella Prints:A Retrospective
(February, 2016). In partnership with Jason S. Yi, a Milwaukee-based artist and co-
director of The Pitch Project, she is part of Plum Blossom Initiative, a collaborative
endeavor aimed at providing emerging, Wisconsin-based artists with opportunities to
professionally present their work and develop institutional recognition. Kolb, Yi, and
artist Mat Greiner are also in the process of co-founding Project Bridge, a related
program focused on forging a more interconnected arts community throughout the
Midwest.
The jury selected 10 works and two alternates. The attachment included provides information
on each of the works of sculpture including the title, artist, and images of each work/ or
renderings of the proposed sculpture. Detailed information including the artists resume, bio,
artist statement and references have been evaluated by the jurors but are available for viewing
on the FTP site due to its size here hftL)s://citvofdubuoue.sharefile.com/d-s05dOee9346c4446b
Selections are in no particular order:
1. Tim Hawley: "Leaf Skeleton"
2. Scott Walace: "Domesticator"
3. J. Neil Lawley: "Dubuque Spatial"
4. Ashley Kyber: "Points of Light"
5. Michael Collins: "Watercraft"
6. Stephanie Sailer: "Awakening"
7. Andrew Arvanetes: "Two Wings and a Prayer"
8. Ben Pierce: "Unsure"
9. Kristin Garnant: "Fault Plane"
10. J. Karl Lipscomb: "Conventional Apparatus"
Of the ten finalists, two are proposed Works. The jurors, based on the artists extensive
resumes and compelling artists statements believe that these proposed pieces will be worthy
of the exhibition. In the event that one of the finalists withdraw from the show we have selected
2 alternates that can be installed instead.
1. Guy Bellaver: "Prairie Song" (alternate 1)
2. Mike Sneller: "Onward" (alternate 2)
RECOMMENDATION/ACTION STEP
The Arts and Cultural Affairs Coordinator and the Arts and Cultural Affairs Advisory
Commission is recommending that the City Council accepts the jury vision and selection
recommendations for the Art on the River 2016.
Respectfully submitted,
C
Marina O'Rourke
Chair of the Arts and Cultural Affairs Advisory Commission
Attachment
on
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2016 Jury Selections
Artist #32 :
Tires Hawley
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Hawley :
" Leaf 1�1 ��A� ♦ ��ll
I am a artist that has explored about
every
medium, I own 2 water jet /leu���%}Id) (h��:il\iI♦I�j/
machines that I use to create my art
with. I use • high tech • drawingmonitor -�. '11.11 .,„r � •�� �1~�: 'i 1
•t I free • nd • •
able to cut about any material. I have 2
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aluminum leaf sculpturesthat displayed at the Milwaukee Art
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Museum. With this
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leaf sculpture `.Its►J ,. \i�/�1� �� �i,,1�%t/1� L
going to take it to the next level and
make it larger and thicker. I torch the
leafs • make the sculpture - • • .
as if it was moving in the wind.
Dimensions
Artist # 15 :
Scott Wallace
V
" Domesticator"
D• - •r" is inspired by • II
relationship with a loving domestic pet.
Dimensions
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r
1 1 T-1"pi��l1N(6PPI. !110 � :. �—
Artist # 19 :
J . Nell Lawley
Lawley : Dubuque
Spatial
My interests lie in the interrelatedness of
things, across cultures, languages, and
objects. These objects share similarities
with forms related to biological processes, ;
anatomy, succulent plants, cloud
formations, and molecular orbital diagrams,
but directly represent none of them.
Acknowledging contradictions, tensions,
transfers of energy, moments of stasis and
entropy, my ambition is to create a cohesive 72.DO
piece, giving the viewer a felt sense of form.
I am interested in constructing smooth
connections, exposing the making process
and integrating the forms. Each intersection - °°
captures a moment of decision-making. I 83.13
strive to invite the viewer into the forms, - - - - - --- 9231 - - - - - - - - - - 0.000.00
leading them to unexpected connections
and configurations working together to
compose a new identity.
Artist #25 :
Ashley Kyber
Artist #26 :
Michael Collins
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Collins : Watercraft J�
Watercraft is a hybrid between a picnic table
and a pontoon boat. By attaching the
pontoons to the table, it convinces the
viewer that they could go on an
unconventional journey. It's a visual paradox,
something that isn't supposed to move,
characterized by being static and sedentary,
is given freedom, suggesting an imagined _
leisurely journey.
1
Dimensions /
8ft Aft x10ft
500 lbs
Artist #35 :
Stephanie Sailer
Sailer : "Awakening"
Awakening depicts a seedpod unfurling new
life. Tendrils are seen in a moment of
unraveling, as they stretch and reach toward
the sky after winter hibernation. Each tendril !'
arches toward the sun, slowly shifting from I
the hard protective shell to the vibrant air Ai
above. As humans, we take part in this
perpetual process, but never truly see the
simplistic beauty around us. Awakening is an
attempt to enlarge the beautiful form of a
seedpod and this first stretch of life to a size
that allows us to view, acknowledge, and
appreciate.
Dimensions
4 ft. x 8 ft. x 3 ft.
114
200 lbs.
Artist # 14 :
Andrew
Arvanetes
Arvanetes : "Two
Wings and a Prayer"
My sculptures have always been object-
oriented and narrative in nature. The
interpretation of my work may not be exactly
the same as the intended narrative. More
important, the viewer should be able to feel
a connection based on their own personal
experiences. I attempt to achieve this
connection with my audience by utilizing
universal visual details. The mechanical and
architectural details utilized in my work have
evolved into a personal language. These
details and symbols combine with the overall
form to create the visual aesthetic. Because dlxi
of my formal approach to fabrication,
rational functionality might be expected. On
the contrary, the combination of physical
scale, personal references and visual details
often results in a whimsical and absurd
reality.
Dimensions
721/x 66"x 69"
300 lbs.
Artist #2 :
Ben Pierce
Pierce : " Unsure"
his work is a variation and continuation of a
series I have been working on called the
Balance series. The focus on this series is the
viewer and how the are able to view the
sculpture and look through the oculus. The
idea is to create a sculpture that stands out. I _
achieve this with the illusion that the V
sculpture is leaning or appearing unbalanced.
This unnatural form catches the viewer of , l
guard and captures their attention allowing
them to look through the oculus. This gives
the viewer the opportunity to maybe see
something in their own community that they 1 _a
may have otherwise overlooked.
Dimensions '
7 ft. x 12 ft. x3 ft.
400 lbs ,.
Artist #4 :
Kristen Garnant
Garnant : " Fault Plane"
Two large folds surround the opening,
giving this piece the look of heavy metal
origami. The bottom is demurely folded _
over itself.
g
Dimensions
18" x7' x23"
95 Ibs.
Artist #24 :
J . Karl
Lipscomb
Lipscomb : "Conventional
Apparatus"
Conventional Apparatus" came about from
an exploration in to the possibilities of
illustrating "aggression" nonverbally and
P
without the hackneyed, trite, or traditional
iconic references to specific objects, i.e.,
guns, knives, specific military weapons. I
wanted a piece that said "I am here, I am in
charge, & I am a powerful being." Yet it was
also important to present it as an archaic
concept even though it still has seductive
qualities (at least to some). The piece is
shaped, formed and smoothed so that the
major intersections are molded and blended
into one another as almost human forms and
the qualities of the surface scream to be
touched.
CA should be displayed where the viewer has £
the opportunity to observe at a distance and
also approach to inspect close-hand, to touch
the wood, discover its nuances, and enjoy
the tactile smorgasbord.
Dimensions 9 ft. x 4 ft. x 5 ft. 100 lbs.
Alternates
....rim
Guy Bellaver : "Prairie 3�..
Song" (Alternate 1 )
r
Prairie Song.Q
Y
Prairie Song.Q is the 14th piece in the Quarks
series. It is more organic than the earlier
pieces and WILL BE painted a vibrant .
yellow/green representing new
growth/regrowth, with the red segments and L
rod representing the energy of life on the
Prairie, and the explosion of its growth in the
spring. nT ,� .
Dimensions
5 ft. x 8 ft. 4.25 ft.
300 lbs.
Mike Sneller : "Onward"
(Alternate 2 )
This piece is about progress, it is made up of
pieces that move forward as they get bigger.
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Mini_ WE W
WIN{
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Dimensions " MIN
3.5 ft. x 10 ft. x 3 ft.
80 lbs.