Dream Sculpture Tour!

[sculptorsam]

First day of the trip is under our belt and it was packed! I'm currently in a hotel just outside Milwaukee after starting the day in Minnesota. We made it to the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis as well as a great outsider-art sculpture park of work by Dr. Evermore just south of Baraboo, WI. I took over 100 pics today already but here are some highlights of the Walker. I'll get to the Dr. Evermore pics later (after a visit to the swimming pool... :) )

Some background: I was awarded a travel grant from the General Mills and Jerome Foundations to visit sculpture parks/museums/galleries/studios from my home in Mid-Minnesota to the East coast. In three weeks time, I hope to see as much as I can, take as many pictures as possible, and try to get the tiniest grip on that unruly beast known as Modern Sculpture.

Sam

Sculptors left to right: David Nash, Mark Di Suvero, Claus Oldenberg

[RuBert]

Sam - I have moved your post to start a new thread in Sculpture News with a redirect at the previous thread.

It's great to see you on your way. I think it will be great to follow your progress, and also please post some images in the Photo Gallery as you go. I have adjusted your settings so that you now have more allocated space and we can build a Photo Gallery section around this.

[JAZ]

Excellent, Sam. Hopefully you're keeping track of names and titles, too? (I know how hard that is!) What an awesome trip. We're so lucky that you're doing all this research for us.

[sculptorsam]

Thanks Russ. This is a better place for it. I'll definitely post more pics in the Photo Gallery as well when I can get some time.

Here are some pics from the Dr. Evermore sculpture park about 5 miles south of Baraboo, WI on HWY 12. I was sad to hear that Tom Every aka Dr. Evermore just had a stroke a couple weeks ago but it doesn't sound like that will keep him down for long. He has created some very inventive sculpture with the centerpiece being his giant Forevertron in the center. Made from salvaged scrap, there is also a definite theme of music working it's way through the sculpture. The shear energy found there boggles the mind.

I purposefully planned my first day to include such radically different conceptions of sculpture. I'm working on clarifying my thoughts on the common threads running through the High Contemporary and the Outsider as well as where they diverge. I think this has allowed me to see and appreciate each of them much better.

[sculptorsam]

Excellent, Sam. Hopefully you're keeping track of names and titles, too? (I know how hard that is!) What an awesome trip. We're so lucky that you're doing all this research for us.

I'll post the names and titles with the works when I upload them to the Photo Gallery. (I'm taking all digital so it's cheap and easy to take a pic of each nameplate as well.) It may be a while until that is done though, there are only so many hours in the day...

[JAZ]

That's one method Egils uses too...those handy labels. The Evermores are great! Never heard of him before. There's a very good Visionary Art Museum in Baltimore. The expressiveness and exhuberance, not to mention the scale and craftsmanship. Cool.

[sculptorsam]

JAZ, here's a couple more for you to get a better idea of the scale. He used to have a website but it has been down for a bit.

[sculptorsam]

And a couple more good ones from the Walker collection.

Left to right: Judith Shea, Saul Baizerman, Wim Delvoye

[Araich]

Awesome Sam! I love seeing the images here as you take them, you can always edit and build an (image) gallery when you get back. Is that Mandy with the Di Suvero?

Cheers to you both!
Drive safe.

[jsimms]

Gee, Its almost as though we were all on the road!!

well, kinda............. I wish....
j

[Wasan Khurshid]

Hello,
Sam,
You have great dreems Sam, I have no words to explan the beauty of yours great art. But I have to feel by sight and touch your dreem like work with my imagentive fingers.
good wishes

"Wasan"

[sculptorsam]

Thanks all! And yes, Robert, that is Mandy with the Di Suvero (as well as peeking out from behind one of the Evermore scullptures).

Today we visited the Milwaukee Art Museum, Bilhenry Walker at his gallery, and the Skokie North Shore Sculpture Park. We made it to the MAM early enough to see the "wings" open up to the sounds of music and the fountains turning on. I even captured some video with my digital camera. The pic below is with the "wings" retracted. The building itself is a great piece of sculpture. That is good since the design doesn't leave much room for other works inside. The main, open space indoors has a great, cathedral feel to it but was missing a prominent work to anchor the space. The older museum space connected to the new building is a fine building as well, in a much different way.

After that, it was a short drive for lunch with Bilhenry Walker. He is a sculptor as well as gallery owner. We talked shop at Sollys, home of the original Butter Burger.

Left to right: MAM, Dale Chihuly, Barbara Hepworth

[sculptorsam]

Later, we trudged our way through 100+ degree heat to the Skokie North Shore Sculpture Park in Skokie, IL (just north of Chicago). I'd been there briefly before about 3 years ago to install a sculpture of my own. Today was my first chance to see it again since then and I was pleased to see it has weathered quite well. The park itself is located on a long stretch beside a river complete with running/biking paths. Bring your walking shoes and plenty of fluids 'cause you're going to need them. There is a wide variety (and quality) of work to be found here. It really is an impressive collection of sculptures for a mostly-residential community to have.

L to R: Michael Gutzwiller, Mike Baur, Sam Spiczka

[sculptor]

more pictures------"Please sir...I want more"

and the occasional broadshot for sense of place----then the colseups----cool?

and

the 3rd Skokie piece .....at 1st glance it shouted Sam Spiczka-----(strong artistic voice)

thanx

[Bob Emser]

Hey Sam and Mandy,

It was great to meet you and be a stop on the Dream Sculpture Tour.

We 3 spent the afternoon in my Eureka, IL studio talking and telling stories. This is a great young couple and all that are on their route had a treat instore for themselves.

Safe travels!!!

Bob

[sculptorsam]

Thanks for stopping by the forum, Bob!

We had a great time as well hanging out there for the better part of an afternoon. I think Bob had the better stories to tell, though. I laughed so hard I cried! But I gleaned a lot of information from him as well that I look forward to putting to use in my own work. He even made a compelling case for upgrading to the Professional Member level of ISC. I just sent the info in...

Here are a couple pics, (including a broad, studio shot for scuptor. I'll try to include an overview shot when possible, that's a good idea).

[sculptorsam]

After Bob's, we headed for the Wandell Sculpture Park in Urbana, IL. What a great little complex of walking/biking trails, forests, fields, and playground! Like Mandy said, if we lived there we'd visit every day.

The sculpture park itself is along a loop of paved trail about half a mile long. Sculptures are installed every hundred yards or so. By far my favorite work there was by Derick Malkemus (the first pic below). Just a wonderful sculpture that gets better the closer you inspect it, which is saying a lot.

L to R: Derick Malkemus, Christiane T. Martens, William D. Carlson

[sculptorsam]

We started today at the Nathan Manilow Sculpture Park at Governors State University just a little South of Chicago. We discovered some nice large-scale works there scattered about a prairie setting around a couple small lakes. But a word of warning: if you begin walking the path thinking it will loop back around and not leave you stranded to double back in the middle of nowhere, YOU WOULD BE WRONG. And we're still on watch to make sure we didn't walk through any poison ivy...

The pics may be a little dark today since it drizzled rain the whole time. At least it wasn't 90 degrees I guess.

L to R: John Henry, Clemente Meadmore, Harry Gordon

[sculptorsam]

After that, we headed to Purdue North Central to check out their sculpture exhibition on campus. Very impressive collection of works nicely displayed around the campus. We spoke to Judy Jacobi while we were there and she gave us a behind the scenes peek into the funding and management of the collection. We also saw a very professional powerpoint presentation about the exhibition which I recommend if you have high speed internet: http://www.pnc.edu/cd/odyssey/2004/

L to R: S. Thomas Scarff, Terence Karpowitz, John Adduci

[sculptorsam]

And lastly, we took a chance and stopped by the Krasl Art Center in St. Joseph, MI after closing time. But luckily for us, there was an opening in progress so we made it inside and spoke with Sue Wilczak about their collection. The Krasl has a fine exhibition of sculptures immediately outside the Center but then branching out to along Lake Michigan as well.

I have been there 3 times now and never have I seen their kinetic George Rickey moving. Perhaps one day the wind will cooperate with me...

Once again, it was raining and getting dark but the pics turned out okay.

L to R: Michael Dunbar, Burt Brent, Richard Hunt

[sculptorsam]

Some thoughts so far: I have developed three goals for this sculpture trip. First, I hope to inspect in person as broad a survey of sculpture as possible. Secondly, I hope to better understand what makes for a good or bad sculpture so that I can make my own work better. And now thirdly, I intend to report on my trip in a journalistic vein for whatever benefit/amusement the community can gain from it.

At the risk of speaking too soon, a theory has begun to take shape about what makes for a good sculpture. A Quality work has a presence to it, a confidence within its material. But it is not reticent, it is open to the viewer. It respects the viewer and demands the same level of respect in return. It does not make cheap concessions for entertainment or attention, but it does look outward. It seeks to meet the viewer part way, and therefore the artist has respected the viewer in the creation of the work. This means the sculpture is imaginative, made with care at every level (by care I don't mean "clean" or "polished" but simply made with attention) and has integrity.

A bad sculpture however betrays a lack of respect on multiple levels. It does not respect itself through the lack of care and attention in its fabrication. It does not respect the viewer by being condescending or obtuse. But mostly, a bad sculpture reveals the lack of respect of the sculptor for him/herself.

Some bad works feel to me like a beaten or neglected dog. Due to a lack of love and thought shown by it's owner, it cowers and snaps at anyone trying to reach out to it. It will not accept care shown towards it because dissapointment will inevitably follow. When I try to approach one of these sculptures, I feel rebuffed. By contrast, a good sculpture will engage me and nudge me along to discover its private vision.

Just some thoughts to go with the pictures...

[JAZ]

Sam,
This whole experience of "watching" your sculpture travels is fantastic. Your ruminations are intriguing. You need to put together a guide book to good art!
By the way, did you by any chance see "Strobus" when you were at Wandell? I think it may be in the Meadowbrook Park (?) section, though I've never been there.

[sculptorsam]

Ah man, we were looking for it but didn't see it, JAZ. If we'd known there were more sculptures in the other park areas, we would have looked. I guess we foolishly thought that all the sculptures would be located on the Sculpture Walk. And I was already a little grumpy looking out at the neverending rain outside...

[fritchie]

Some really wonderful pictures, Sam! And I like your approach to evaluating works. It seems very thoughtful, and I know you are fair and open in looking. The devil is in the details, as word has it, but some scale of evaluation is necessary to keep the overall field of sculpture in balance. Your documentation of this trip will be quite valuable.

[sculptorsam]

but some scale of evaluation is necessary to keep the overall field of sculpture in balance.

I have been thinking a lot about this as well...

Today began bright and early, at around 5 AM. That is when the garbage truck decided to empty the dumpster directly below our window. But we did manage to get some decent sleep, even with a novelty hotel bed. You know the one, where if you lay down in the middle the highest point on your body is actually below the top of the mattress at the sides! And did I mention it was raining as well?...

But today was a very good day. We spent the better part of it at the Frederik Meijer Gardens in Grand Rapids, MI. And perhaps the rain helped, because we were the only people out walking around to see the sculptures. No little kids to get in the way of my pictures! And there are some truly incredible works there. Their Di Suvero is magnificent. It has a presense that is awesome. All of the works were beautifully sited as well, which makes a huge difference.

Inside, we were lucky enough to catch an exhibit of the sculptor Robert Kuhn. Inventive and touching welded steel sculpture. Aparently he was big in the 60s until he pulled a Bontecou, though he passed away before re-emerging.

And they had the finalist maquettes for their recent sculpture commission competition. I had actually entered it myself. The winning choice will be a 7 foot cube of clear acrylic encasing and upside-down tree root system. Of the five finalists, it was the proper choice.

L to R: Di Suvero, Arnaldo Pomodoro, Juan Munoz

[sculptorsam]

And there is an incredible carnivorous plant garden inside the Frederik Meijer. I just had to post some pictures of these very sculptural flowers.

[sculptorsam]

After leaving Grand Rapids, we had intended to stay just outside Toledo before we visited their Art Museum and Sculpture Garden. But as is happening quite often on this trip, we had a hard time finding a convenient hotel on the Interstate. So, we ended up just driving right to the Museum where we were lucky to find it open late on Fridays. In addition, they were having an opening for an exhibit of local artist complete with live music and catering. We never actually got to see the exhibit however, they were waiting until after the presentation to open the doors.

I really liked the Museum. It has some nice personality with a very charmingly laid out sculpture park in front. The highlight for me was the sculpture by Albert Paley. It was an education. I learned more in that 15 minutes pouring over it than I could hammering away on my own for a couple years. If I see nothing else on this trip, that sculpture, a small welded steel sculpture by Richard Hunt in Milwaukee and the Di Suvero in the Frederik Meijer will have made it all worth while.

L to R: Calder (with David Smith in back), Albert Paley, George Rickey (detail)

[sculptorsam]

Just a short note for the day. We visited the Cleveland Museum of Art and the Sculpture Center in Cleveland. There was a parade on the grounds in back of the museum which made it difficult to see the few works outside there. However, there was an interior sculpture court with a nice Clemente Meadmore, Kenneth Snelson, among others. On the other side of the museum was a sizable pond which had great potential for displaying larger work. However, things were pretty sparce. A couple statues, a Tony Smith, and the remains of Rodin's The Thinker on the grand staircase. Seems back in '72 vandals tried to destroy it and succeeded in blowing away most of the lower legs/base.

And we seemed to have picked a fairly slow time at the Sculpture Center. There was only one exhibit up and I wasn't able to weasle my way in to see the studios they seemed to have for making sculpture. Perhaps everybody was at the parade.

Sorry, no pictures for today. I'm hoping we can catch our second wind tomorrow. We stopped for the night just short of Buffalo where we're going to the Albright-Knox Musuem and Niagara Falls on Sunday. I need to gather my senses before visiting the Paley Studio on Monday.

[fused]

I am really digging the images and thoughts of your sculpturequest,
and can't thankyou enough for expending the energy to share all of
it here. It seems to me you are still gazing at the tip of the iceberg.

now I need a vacation

[fritchie]

And there is an incredible carnivorous plant garden inside the Frederik Meijer. I just had to post some pictures of these very sculptural flowers.

Thanks for posting these, Sam. Those, or relatives, commonly are called pitcher plants. They attract insects with sweet nectar at the bottom, and have downward-pointing hairs on the inside, so insects have a hard time climbing out, if they don’t drown in the nectar alone. I guess flying ones can make it, if they aren’t drunk.

We have, or had, two local forms, both ground-dwelling. These seem to be vines. Our two local forms are very similar, except that one has bright yellow pitchers, and the other is maroon-webbed over white at the top. As I say, both grow from the ground, in damp areas. The pitchers are about 10 - 12 inches tall, and about 1 inch in diameter, as I remember. Haven’t seen any in about 30 years.

[fritchie]

After leaving Grand Rapids, we had intended to stay just outside Toledo before we visited their Art Museum and Sculpture Garden. But as is happening ...
I really liked the Museum. It has some nice personality with a very charmingly laid out sculpture park in front. The highlight for me was the sculpture by Albert Paley. It was an education. I learned more in that 15 minutes pouring over it than I could hammering away on my own for a couple years. If I see nothing else ...

Amen on the Paley. I’ve seen only one, I think, plus some drawings. One of New Orleans’ best earlier galleries, which closed about two years ago, included the Paley piece with others in one of their last shows, and kept it on view in the back for a year or so. It also was a column, about 7 - 8 feet high, with entwined rod somewhat like this, but more complex. I’ll have to admit I never understood it, as with some abstract pieces, but I had to admit its power. This one looks like a version of a Greek warrior, with the columns, and the shield at midpoint. Or maybe Columbus on one of his voyages, with the sail at the top. Agamemnon? Keep these images coming!

[sculptorsam]

This one looks like a version of a Greek warrior, with the columns, and the shield at midpoint. Or maybe Columbus on one of his voyages, with the sail at the top. Agamemnon? Keep these images coming!

I believe this sculpture of his was inspired by the Toledo Art Museum and it's collection. The columns relate to the classic columns of the museum itself, the shield form was inspired by a greek vase and the broken/shattered base refers to the attached Frank Gehry building. In addition to the craftsmanship, this is one of the best "inspired by" pieces I have seen. Often artists are brought to a site to create work influenced by that site and the result is unconvincing; the relationship is more in the explanation than in the work itself. I wish I could have taken a picture of it's relationship to the museum, but it's placement made that too difficult.

[sculptorsam]

Today was a very good day, much better than yesterday. I have decided that it's because I learned more today. Yesterday I felt like a tourist (perhaps because I didn't see as much sculpture). Today I felt like an explorer of the Sculptural World.

Our first stop was the Albright-Knox Art Museum in Buffalo, NY. A beautiful little museum with a very strong sculpture collection. In addition, there were two temporary shows going on upstairs. One on the human figure in contemporary art and the other of Rodin. (I was not allowed to take pics of these exhibits...)

The Rodin galleries were very packed. It is hard to know whether the people were drawn to it because of the famous name or the recognizable subject matter. There were plenty of human figures in the contemporary show galleries as well, but these had ample room to wander around. Those in the show included Gormley, Munoz and Mueck.

L ro R: Museum, Henry Moore (about 3 feet wide), Lynn Chadwick (about 9 inches tall)

[sculptorsam]

Some more from the Albright-Knox permanent collection...

L to R: Kiki Smith, Alberto Giacometti, Oskar Schlemmer

[sculptorsam]

Sorry about the lack of an update yesterday. The internet was out in our hotel room, which would have been good to know before I tinkered with it for an hour and a half...

On Monday, we visited a few large sculptures by Albert Paley before making it to his studio in Rochester, NY. The first one here is the most recent piece installed on the campus of the Rochester Institute of Technology entitled Sentinel. I couldn’t tell what to make of it by the pictures I’d scene, but in person it is outstanding. Much better to see in person and walk under, and very difficult to capture in a picture. It stands 73 feet tall weighing in at around 110 tons. (Yes, that is Mandy in the first one!) But I have attempted to none-the-less so check these out:

[sculptorsam]

After that, we went to the Strong Museum in downtown Rochester to see this sculpture. It has always been a favorite of mine:

[sculptorsam]

Fairly nearby is another large work, Genessee Passage at the Bausch & Lomb headquarters. Another very fine piece and a course in quality fabrication. The rusted Cor-ten alone does not stand out from the background as much as some of Albert’s other works. But from the video of the making-of this sculpture, I know that the company preferred a more classical approach. They actually rejected the first maquette for an all-stainless sculpture that would have contrasted with the architecture more.

[sculptorsam]

After seeing these, we visted with David Burdett at the Paley Studios. He was kind enough to spend nearly a couple hours with us, answering (nearly) every question I had. We got a tour of the entire facilities, from administration to fabrication to storage and design. It was an education seeing work of that quality completed systematically and consistently. I believe there are 3-4 people in administration and 4-5 working on the floor. The archives alone contained an entire room and require a full-time archivist. To listen to the number of large-scale and high-profile works in the process of being created at any one time will make your head spin.

Albert was actually working at his home on the cardboard model for an enormous entrance gate for the St. Louis Zoo. It will be a 90-100 feet wide, 25-30 feet tall Cor-ten construction deep enough to walk among the elements, which will include representational wildlife. The completion date is set for December, 2005.

We were actually able to visit with Albert at his beautiful home after we left the Studio. He was kind enough to take some time out from the design and show us around. And we even met his lovely wife, Francis. Thank you again to the Paleys and David for taking time out to visit with us. The highlight of the trip so far, hands down!

The first pic is a maquette for the RIT piece, the second is the shop floor, the third is a display area in the front of the building.

[sculptorsam]

Conveniently, today’s destinations were right across the street from each other. The first is the Neuberger Museum of Art on the campus of SUNY at Purchase, NY. Works are rather scattered across the campus so it took us a while to see as many as we did. The Goldsworthy cairn was particularly difficult to locate. But, as you can see, Mandy just LOVES Andy Goldsworthy so we just kept on looking until we found it.

L to R: Charles Ginever, Almad Osni Peii, Andy Goldsworthy

[sculptorsam]

But the best was yet to come, at the Pepsico Sculpture Park at their headquarters. World-class works sited likewise. I have tried to gather a sense of the place with a couple pictures, but you really should see it in person. The first is Rodin with Kenneth Snelson, the second is Henry Moore with Arnoldo Pomodoro, and the third is Mandy with George Segal.

[Araich]

Simply fantastic Sam, your pictures are beautiful.

I'd just like to personally thank you for the time and effort you've put into giving us a glimpse of your travels. I'm gob-smacked by the detail you're giving us. I can only guess that you're carrying around a notebook as you go.

Visiting Paley must have been awesome. Can you see yourself set up like that?

:)

[sculptorsam]

Thanks, Robert. Actually, I only have my camera and an imperfect memory. There's too much to take in to stop and take notes. It's like being at a detailed college lecture, if you take notes you're missing something. I do have a digital voice recorder I resort to occasionally. And I pick up every piece of literature available!

Mandy asked me the same question, could I see myself set up like Albert Paley in the future? I really don't know, but I lean towards no. He has organizational skills that I could only dream of, and obviously enjoys using them. I think I'd be happy with some help in the administration department and a well-equiped shop. But you never know. My sense is that once you get a taste of the larger-scale projects, they just build on each other...

Now, off to Storm King!!!

Sam

[novabelgica]

Sam, I think we're all enjoying the tour you're doing right now. Thanks for your daily updates and for posting all those pictures. They're all great.

I especially enjoyed the Paley pics. That man is just amazing, isn't he? He's basically the reason why I started making metalsculptures. I remember seeing his early wrought-iron work in a book about blacksmiths and thinking to myself 'I want to do that too!' Sure wish I could visit his studio some day.

Enjoy the rest of your tour and keep posting! :p

[sculptorsam]

We eventually did make it to Storm King yesterday, but it started off on the wrong foot. We discovered their directions from the website were off coming from our direction. So, though we were only about 5 miles away, we ended up driving around 20. But we did eventually find it and spent nearly 4 hours walking around their expansive grounds. And when I say expansive, I mean it. The place is huge. Probably even too big. The park reads like the second draft of a great novel. All the pieces are in place, the tone is nearly set, but it just needs to be tightened up a bit.

One of the highlights was finding a show of sculpture by Chakaia Booker inside the main building. Fine work with a couple stunning pieces. Wish I had pics, but none allowed inside.

L to R: Di Suvero, Goldsworthy, David Smith and Noguchi

[sculptorsam]

Afterwards, we sat in traffic for two and a half hours before making it to the studios of Harry Gordon and his wife, Wendy. We checked out his new work, chit chatted for a while and made it out to dinner at the Inn of the Hawke. We ended up getting a very nice room in the Inn. A good end to a tiring day.

L to R: Harry with his work in progress, detail, another work

[sculptorsam]

The next morning, we stopped by Harry's and his neighbor, the sculptor Dana Stewart. They were loading up some sculptures onto Harry's truck for delivery to a local sculpture show. We got a tour of Dana's house and studio where we found tons of humorous bronze figures. The large one in the first pic greets you immediately when you get there. Dana cast it all himself at his own foundry on site. The second is a number of other, smaller Beasts indoors. The third is Harry's truck loaded up with the works. Dana is passing by in the middle.

[sculptorsam]

The main destination for today was Grounds for Sculpture. We were greeted immediately by a crazy screaming sound as we got out of the car. Peacocks! Just wandering around the grounds. Very beautiful animals.

The Grounds themselves are very nice as well. Compact enough to be manageable yet complex enough to allow for discovery. It reminded me a bit of the layout of a department store, designed to ensure that you never leave. Lots of sculptures to discover in various nooks and crannies with both very formal courtyards and works in the landscape.

L to R: Charles Ginnever, Zoran Mojsilov, Bruce Beasley

[anne (bxl)]

Astonish thread, Sam! Thank you so much for sharing this wonderful tour with us! Is it real?? Please Mandy post a picture with "Sam on travel" to be sure of it....

[sculptorsam]

Yes, it's real Anne. And getting a little tiring. I'm hoping for a second wind to come on soon. 12 days on the road so far. just over half way through. And I have some photographic proof for you today as well...

First on deck today was the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Beautiful building and location. I even got to stand where Rocky did and thrust my arms triumphantly into the air...

It was nice to be indoors for a change. A number of Brancusis and some nice prep studies by Duchamp-Villon that were educational. We saw a lot of paintings today which was a nice change as well, though I still prefer a good sculpture by far.

L to R: Museum, Noguchi, Brancusi

[sculptorsam]

Next was the Rodin Musuem a couple blocks away. Aparently it's the largest collection of his work outside of France. An entrance frieze with The Thinker meets you first, then a fountain (which was being repaired) and finally the building. In the entrance is a version of The Gates of Hell. (And right there in them you can find me.) The building itself has a lot of charm (which is a polite way of saying it's beautiful but small). And the works are displayed very nicely. Rodin was the probably the first sculptor whose work I fell in love with, so it's always a pleasure for me to see them in person.

L to R: Thinker, Gates of Hell with me, Adam and Eve.

[sculptor]

I do not wish to seem too ebulient in my praise, but.....
Thank you Sam-----this is a daily delight and has sent me on several searches to see more of the works of
Beasley
Ginever
The Strong museum
Paley
Evermore
Pomodoro
etc.
Adduci.....I found the image so entertaining in its humor and simplicity(and it seems to function as a fairly good recliner). And I had earlier dismissed him because I found the work shown in Chicago uncomfortable and uninspiring. Now I see through the prejudice. Thanx....In it's simplicity, it seems so unlike his other metal sculptures.

This adventure has been an eye opener and a tad tiring trying to understand/ get a feel for, the pieces which reached out and grabbed my attention, and I ain't even traveling.
I hope you are comfortable.

Thanx again
rod

[fritchie]

The next morning, we stopped by Harry's and his neighbor, the sculptor Dana Stewart. They were loading up some sculptures onto Harry's truck for delivery to a local sculpture show. We got a tour of Dana's house and studio where we found tons of humorous bronze figures. The large one in the first pic greets you immediately when you get there. Dana cast it all himself at his own foundry on site. The second is a number of other, smaller Beasts indoors. The third is Harry's truck loaded up with the works. Dana is passing by in the middle.

Sam - Thanks for these Dana Stewart pieces. I’m impressed with the porcupine - bear - dinosaur hybrid in the front yard, plus the four-headed Cerberus. Amazing what the imagination can do when the means are at hand.

Harry’s work reminds me of some things I helped an MFA student assemble about 35 years ago when I was taking my first sculpture classes, though his are much larger. This student, who has gone on to a very successful career in wood sculpture and a sort of abstract figuration, had gotten a couple of mahogany logs locally,and had carved and assembled them into a configuration somewhat like the ones here.

[Araich]

Sam, take a day off. You are going to blow a fuse.

Book into a posh hotel with a spa, take Mandy to a nice restaurant, rent a movie.

:)

[sculptorsam]

[QUOTE=fritchie]Sam - Thanks for these Dana Stewart pieces. I’m impressed with the porcupine - bear - dinosaur hybrid in the front yard, plus the four-headed Cerberus. Amazing what the imagination can do when the means are at hand.QUOTE]

I believe the name of the four-headed beast was Suburberus. Very funny stuff.

[sculptorsam]

This adventure has been an eye opener and a tad tiring trying to understand/ get a feel for, the pieces which reached out and grabbed my attention, and I ain't even traveling.
I hope you are comfortable.

Thanx again
rod

Thanks, Rod. It can be a little easier to get a hold of in person just because of the repetition. When you've been to as many places as we have, you see some of the same sculptures repeatedly. But Mandy is good about creating games to keep our attention up. She likes to quiz me on the artist/title of works (I get a point a piece) and we sometimes grade the works on a school point system. 6 is an F, 10 an A+ using half-point increments. It keeps things interesting, and she is getting quite knowledgable. I commented today that she probably knows more than most high-school art teachers!

[sculptorsam]

Sam, take a day off. You are going to blow a fuse.

Book into a posh hotel with a spa, take Mandy to a nice restaurant, rent a movie.

:)

A good suggestion, but we have a couple more busy days before it slows down for a bit...

We're in Washington D.C. at the moment for two nights. We already saw the Hirshorn Museum and Sculpture Park as well as the National Gallery of Art and their Sculpture Park. I really enjoyed the Hirshorn. A nice layout of sculpture on the grounds with plenty more indoors. The Juan Munoz installation (third pic) was particularly good.

Side note: I am trying not to repeat pictures of artists, but since the museums themselves repeat not only the artists but even works themselves, it will be inevitable here as well.

[sculptorsam]

The National Gallery is housed in an impressive building with a newer I.M. Pei designed East Gallery housing the Contemporary Art collection. The large Calder Mobile that usually hangs in the East Wing was unfortunately in for repairs to the bearings so we were unable to enjoy it. There is another rather formal Sculpture Garden nearby with some good sculptures as well. Give yourself plenty of time to see it all though. We were there for nearly 3 hours and still nearly skipped half the main floor.

L to R: David Smith with Tony Smith, Abakonowicz with Di Suvero, Serra inside East Wing

[fritchie]

...
We're in Washington D.C. at the moment for two nights. We already saw the Hirshorn Museum and Sculpture Park as well as the National Gallery of Art and their Sculpture Park. I really enjoyed the Hirshorn. A nice layout of sculpture on the grounds with plenty more indoors. The Juan Munoz installation (third pic) was particularly good.

Side note: I am trying not to repeat pictures of artists, but since the museums themselves repeat not only the artists but even works themselves, it will be inevitable here as well.

I don’t believe you identified the gears-within-a-world piece in the first pic, but I believe it was a centerpiece in a plaza at the WTC, and was badly damaged on 9.11.01 and sent back to the artist in Germany. Another copy was in Rome, in a pic JAZ posted of a Roman-era 6 to 8 foot bronze pinecone. These things do get around, so I appreciate the difficulty.

I haven’t been in DC in about a dozen years or more, and am or was familiar with the Hirshhorn sculpture garden, but the NG? Is that another one?

[sculptorsam]

That work is another by Pomodoro, who I believe I've posted a few of already. If it was damaged, it looks fine now. I was trying more for some pics that gave a sense of both the works and the presentation in those views. The prominent work in the second pic is Marino Marini followed by Moore. The other works escape me at the moment...

The National Gallery has an adjoining sculpture garden across the Mall from the Hirshorn, next to the National Archives. It's a symmetrical park with a very large fountain in the middle where people seem to enjoy dangling their feet in the water. About 12-15 large works surround it.

[sculptorsam]

Yesterday we visited a number of places, but the two most relevant ones for here were the Renwick Gallery and the Natural History Museum. The Renwick Gallery is a collection of fine crafts. As such, they threaded very closely, if not actually crossing, the line into Art with a capital A. It was quite clear that when the "crafts" wish to cross boundaries, they get less useful in their design while "art" tends to dabble in functionality.

The first two pics are of very inventive but not very "useful" furniture. The chair is by Jacob Cress while the table is by Wendel Castle. The third is of course the Renwick Gates by Albert Paley. They were smaller than I had envisioned, more the size of actual doors, but beautiful in their executuion.

[sculptorsam]

The Natural History Museum was full of dead and beautiful things. What a great place! I took plenty of pictures of bones along with the occasional rock or mineral. Here are a couple that I thought you'd find interesting.

The first pic is a miniature bronze Triceratops skull created from the digital scanning of the original fossil. The text informed me that scientists often find it easier to study the smaller version than the full size original which would require a crane or may be in another location. I know similar technology is being used in sculpture these days as well.

And I thought it would be fun to compare the next two images side-by-side. I believe the first is of Hemetite (though I'm sure if that's wrong someone will correct me) and is around 7 inches tall. The next is of a David Smith sculpture in the Hirshorn Sculpture Garden.

[sculptorsam]

The first one here is of a dinosaur bone. Just a very beautiful, sculptural form.

The next two are another comparative set. The first is of a sand concretion, standing around 4 feet tall. The second is of a Jean Arp sculpture in the Hirshorn Sculpture Garden as well. Perhaps a Hans Bellmer work would have been more appropriate (I just haven't seen one yet), but you get the idea.

[fritchie]

The Natural History Museum was full of dead and beautiful things. What a great place! I took plenty of pictures of bones along with the occasional rock or mineral. Here are a couple that I thought you'd find interesting. ...

And I thought it would be fun to compare the next two images side-by-side. I believe the first is of Hemetite (though I'm sure if that's wrong someone will correct me) and is around 7 inches tall. The next is of a David Smith sculpture in the Hirshorn Sculpture Garden.

You’re right, Sam. This isn’t hematite, which is an iron oxide, of theoretical formula Fe2O3, but a related material, FeS, commonly called Fool’s Gold because of its color. I can’t recall the formal, common, name right now. One of NASA’s current two Mars rovers went to the Meridiani Planum site because of remote-sensing detection of large amounts of hematite there, and they found a real, not a fool’s goldmine of information. (This is the probe that landed in the small crater.)

The other one finally has reached a goldmine of its own after traveling about a mile over lava fields, looking at odd but informative impact ejecta and flood sweepings.

This presentation of paired natural and manmade objects is great! Thanks a bunch!

[sculptorsam]

Thanks for the clarification, fritchie. Now I remember what the hemitite looked like, much like a Bellmer sculpture as well actually.

First up today on our move Westward was the Columbus Museum of Art. We found a very nice formal sculpture courtyard there both outside and in along with various other works placed around the grounds. A nice museum with some very fine work. I don't know why, but I was pleasantly surprised.

First pic is the outdoor courtyard. Second is a sculpture by Giacomo Manzu also in the courtyard. Third is a pairing of Chihuly and Butterfield in the indoor courtyard.

[sculptorsam]

Next was a stop at the University of Cincinnatti to look at their sculpture on campus. I have to admit that we did not see much. There was plenty of construction going on hampering movement but mainly they built the campus on the side of a valley. There were so many stairs and levels over the sizable campus that we just didn't have it in us at this point to wander around hoping to find something.

We did see a couple nice works however. The first pair of pics is a two-piece sculpture by Dennis Oppenheim. The second is a Kenneth Snelson.

So far to date, I have taken 2,095 pictures on this trip. Perhaps a slow visit, picture-wise, was in order.

[steponmebbbboom]

It's pyrite, if anyone still cares.

Sam that concretion is making me drool. Larry Carlson did some digital pieces that are very similar to it. The wheels are turning over here. Thank you.

You have also inspired me to take a trip south in the next year or so to visit some US destinations. Our sculpture gardens are quite sparse by comparison. In fact I think the registry shows fewer gardens in all of Canada than in most of your states!

[sculptor]

Thanks for the clarification, fritchie. Now I remember what the hemitite looked like, much like a Bellmer sculpture as well actually.

First up today on our move Westward was the Columbus Museum of Art. We found a very nice formal sculpture courtyard there both outside and in along with various other works placed around the grounds. A nice museum with some very fine work. I don't know why, but I was pleasantly surprised.

First pic is the outdoor courtyard. Second is a sculpture by Giacomo Manzu also in the courtyard. Third is a pairing of Chihuly and Butterfield in the indoor courtyard.

Sam......got a close-up of the woman beyond the pool?

rod

[sculptorsam]

Here you go, Rod. She is by Aristide Maillol with a Hepworth in the far right.

[sculptor]

Thanx Sam, I like Maillol's women (http://www.bc.edu/bc_org/avp/cas/fnart/art/20th/sculpture/maillol04.jpg) though the early ones were a tad chunky for my taste

and (http://www.insecula.com/oeuvre/photo_ME0000068714.html)

and, river (http://www.bluffton.edu/~sullivanm/virginia/richmond/vamuseum/maillol3.jpg) which I ain't quite comfortable with.
and (http://www.gnam.arti.beniculturali.it/opere/MANZ1.JPG)

rod

[sculptorsam]

It was just a short trip to start the day at the Indianapolis Museum of Art. We happened to catch them in mid-construction of a very nice addition to the museum. That, along with a new Art/Nature park across the street should make it a great place in a year or so. As it was, the collection on view wasn't too large. But they did have a very nice room of Neo-Impressionists that made Mandy happy. Here are a couple pics from near the parking area. There were no identifying plaques with them, so it's anybody's guess...

[sculptorsam]

From there, it was a helluva hot 3+ hour drive to the Cedarhust Center for the Arts. We're essentially driving without AC at this point, can't wait to head North again. Once at Cedarhust, it was a pleasure to see some good outdoor sculpture again after a couple of fairly slow days. There is some water and nature trails out back that make for good bird watching as well. We even happened across a deer.

L to R: shot of Museum building with Linda Flemming sculptures in foreground, Bob Emser sculpture, non-labeled sculpture that I believe is by Foon Sham

[fritchie]

Next was a stop at ......

So far to date, I have taken 2,095 pictures on this trip. Perhaps a slow visit, picture-wise, was in order.

Thanks for this item, Sam. I hadn’t really thought about mechanics, but how are you doing this? I expect probably a PC with a CD Read/write unit. You probably still would need enough camera memory cards to hold a couple hundred pictures, and I guess you download to CD each night.

[sculptorsam]

I have a couple large memory cards for my camera that I download to my laptop every night. It's a fairly basic laptop, no CD-R and only around 5 gig hard drive (which I have nearly used up). I still have my eye out for an external hard drive for back up. When I get home, I'll transfer them to my desktop, burn them to disk, and leave them on the external as well. I have a couple sets of rechargable batteries, the charger, and 12 volt adapter so I can charge in the car if need be.

It was also a good idea to bring both a wireless PC card, Ethernet card and an Ethernet cable. The hook-up at different hotels varies so you have to be prepared. Right now I'm on wireless, which I still think is the coolest thing.

[Araich]

If you winzip up your images you'll save a stack of space on that hard drive...

[sculptorsam]

We started the day out only a couple blocks from the Laumeier Sculpture Park in St. Louis, MO which was convenient. We got there pretty early, but it didn't take long for the day to heat up. It was nice that there were plenty of trails through the woods on this 90+ acre park where shade could be found. The park itself is very nice. Built on a collection of work by Ernest Trova, who is from St. Louis, there is a nice mix of permanent work and work on loan by the artist. And there is a combination of formal garden settings and more natural openings for showing work. Having this combination seems to make for the best presentation we've found.

The first work here is a Di Suvero in front of the main museum building. The second a work by Robert Lobe of sheet aluminum hammered over a tree trunk. The third is probably my favorite work there, a figure by Trova.

[sculptorsam]

From there it was a hot, hot, hot drive to Springfield, MO to meet up with Russ (where he and his wife Pam have graciously taken us in for the night). We made it here a bit early so we had time to stop by the Springfield Museum of Art. There were a handful of large works outside, including their most prominent large, yellow scupture by John Henry (sorry, no pic). Inside we found their national watercolor show up which was a nice change of pace. And a show of American Regionalists including Thomas Hart Benton and Grant Wood. I found the lithographs by Grant Wood to be very good. I didn't quite realize the quality of his work before.

There were no labels on the works outside, so my guess will have to work. The first is by Richard Hunt, the second I'm not sure, and the third looks to be by Trova.

[obseq]

[QUOTE=fritchie]You’re right, Sam. This isn’t hematite, which is an iron oxide, of theoretical formula Fe2O3, but a related material, FeS, commonly called Fool’s Gold because of its color. I can’t recall the formal, common, name right now. QUOTE]


Pyrite, aka Fool's Gold.

[obseq]

Sam,

I have to offer a huge thanks for giving all of us a taste of your trip and providing the forum with a great hub for discussion! I finally decided to sit for awhile with the thread and spend some time with the great images you posted.

Be sure to keep enjoying yourself and be safe!

A million thanks :)

[sculptorsam]

Friday morning, we headed over with Russ and Pam to check out the shop. I can say now that I have seen the future of sculpture and it is called RuBert Studios. There I saw the near complete integration of material and computer technology. It is a marvel, but left me pondering its limitations as well. But for the material, scale and style of Russ' work, it seems to be a near perfect fit. The building itself has the size, equipment, and character that any sculptor would love to work in.

Thanks again to Russ and Pam for their hospitality!

[sculptorsam]

From there, we headed to the Nelson-Atkins Museum in Kansas City. It was in the middle of construction/expansion as well, but there was still plenty of galleries open and of course the grounds around the musum. The museum has the largest collection of large-scale bronze sculptures by Henry Moore outside of England. There is a sizable display of his work in the interior courtyard as well. It was nice to see some stellar examples of his work.

L to R: Oldenburg's Shuttlecock (there are 3 more on the grounds), interior Moore courtyard, Moore sculpture with visitor

[sculptorsam]

And while I was in Kansas City, I made a quick visit to the Zone Gallery. I'm scheduled to have a show there some time next year so I wanted to check things out. Stretch, the director, was out of town but there were plenty of his works in the adjoining yard. And there was plenty of activity in the old warehouse which contained both the gallery and shop space. It looks to be a good venue and I'm excited for the show. Now just to make the work...

L to R: Outdoor yard with work by Stretch, gallery space, shop space

[sculptorsam]

Saturday found us in Des Moines, IA to visit their Art Center. What a pleasure to find the most beautiful small museum of our entire trip there! There are three separate parts designed by three separate architects and they compliment each other beautifully. The museum's collection leans heavily toward contemporary work, though there are some very good modern works there as well. Unfortunately there was no photography allowed indoors or I could show you one of the finest sculptures I saw on the entire trip, a smaller work by Ernest Trova. And Mandy was overjoyed to see the Andy Goldsworthy installation near the gardens in the back. The piece is entitled Three Cairns and we saw the East Coast Cairn at SUNY in Purchase, NY ealier on the trip. Now she wants to go to San Diego to see the third...

L to R: Henry Moore, Bruce Nauman, Andy Goldsworthy.

[sculptorsam]

Now, after 20 days, 4700 miles, 2500 pictures and 38 places visited, we are finally back home safe and sound. I doubt I could have asked for more from the trip. We saw some incredible things and met some incredible people. We also saw some truly terrible work and signs of carelessness and neglect. In short, I think we got a fairly decent picture of sculpture and its presentation today.

It has been said that a fish cannot understand the water it swims in. That was precisely my goal on this trip, and I think I achieved some glimpses of it. Nietzsche wrote of the Spirit of Gravity that holds us down. To his mind, in order to see clearly, one must overcome this pull and fly high above to get a decent perspective. Now that I am back home, I look forward to using the pictures, information and memories I have gathered to give me wings.

Many thanks once again to the General Mills and Jerome Foundation for making this experience possible.

Sam

[Araich]

Now, after 20 days, 4700 miles, 2500 pictures and 38 places visited, we are finally back home...

What! Get back out there! We want more pictures, more commentary and more quotes... else what are we to do, log-off and do some work?

PS Did you get the title of the last Trova, perhaps we can find a picture of it.

[JAZ]

Sam,
I've just spent the last hour and a half going through your Dream Tour from start to finish. It's an amazing resource and your comments are wonderful to read. I could be wrong, but did you at one point mention that you may put all of this together in book form? That would be a great idea... a field guide to U. S. sculpture, Mid/north region or some such. I'd certainly like a copy (autographed by the famous Sam and Mandy of course). Then you could do the same for other regions of the US and once that's exhausted, you could do Europe, Africa, Asia or wherever.
The New England Sculptor's Association sponsored "A Guide to Public Art in Greater Boston" by area sculptor Marty Carlock in 1993, which I have a copy of. It includes monuments, figurative sculptures, murals and contemporary sculpture, trying to be encyclopedic. It would be great to see a comprehensive regional guide just showing contemporary sculpture. Seems like you're the man to do it.
Thanks so much for posting all of this.

[ironman]

Hi Mandy & Sam, Thank you very much for sharing your wonderful tour with us. It was very enjoyable and educational. I'll bet you can't wait to get back in your studio!
Sincerely,
Jeff

[sculptorsam]

PS Did you get the title of the last Trova, perhaps we can find a picture of it.

I contacted the museum and they forwarded me the information on the work:

Ernest Trova (American, b.1927)

FM/Shadow, 1969-70

Chrome plated bronze; aluminum

Overall: 24 inches (61 cm.)

Running a search on Google popped up this image, (though it looks better in person and from the opposite angle):

[sculptorsam]

Thanks, JAZ. I went back through it all as well a couple days ago and it helped my memory a lot. I'm very glad I documented it here for my own benefit as well.

There actually is a book I got for the trip called "A Guide to the Sculpture Parks & Gardens of America" by Jane McCarthy and Laurily K. Epstein. It was published in 1996 and is currently out of print (though it's easier than ever to find used books online). Right now, I'm just aiming for a decent article/report of the trip. If I wrote a book on it, I'd like it to be something more along the lines of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance than a traditional travel guide. So many different strains for reflection, and not simply what makes for a Good sculpture.

[sculptorsam]

Hi Mandy & Sam, Thank you very much for sharing your wonderful tour with us. It was very enjoyable and educational. I'll bet you can't wait to get back in your studio!
Sincerely,
Jeff

Hey Jeff, thanks! You're more right than you know about wanting to get some work done again. I'm hoping this week I can make some progress.

[TMR]

Hello there,
As a new member of 20 min ago:) I just wanted to say what an epic, inspiring and informative post.
And a question, I've just been perusing your website, and your works amaze me. Sculpture's like "Jacob's Ladder" , "Kubrick" is anything in there found object? or have you fabricated it all?

Ciao 4 now,
Tim
http://www.lakejosephine.com/TMR

[sculptorsam]

Welcome, Tim. Except for the very, very rare occasion, all my work is fabricated. The Images Gallery is a good place to find discussions on works and a place to post works of your own for us to see and ask questions about. I look forward to seeing some of your work down there, though your website is nicely designed and user friendly as well.

[sculptorsam]

I thought y'all might be interested in my final report for the trip. Let me know what you think...


On June 7, 2004, I left my home in mid-Minnesota and, along with my wife, began a road tour of sculpture parks, museums and studios to the East Coast and back. When it was over, we would have traveled 4700 miles over 20 days through 15 states. We visited 38 different places while taking over 2500 photographs. It has been said that a fish is unable to see the water that it swims in, that while fully immersed in an environment, it is unable to fully understand it. Well, that was my goal for the trip. I wanted to “see” the sculpture environment so that I could better understand it as well as my place in it.

Upon leaving, I compiled a list of four hypotheses that I would attempt to test with what I saw. They were:
1. There is a noticeable difference in quality from great works of art to second- and third-tier works.
2. Good site selection and placement play a crucial role in how we see sculpture. It is so important that good placement can make bad work look good while poor placement can make good work look bad.
3. The superiority of blue-chip sculpture is due to qualities inherent in the work and not due to social and theoretical constructs surrounding the work.
4. Craftsmanship in outdoor work is more important than indoor work. A well put-together sculpture looks better than one that is poorly constructed.

The first day was a crucial beginning for the trip. In fact, it could be seen as a microcosm of the trip as a whole. I saw then that there would be no easy answers or black and white judgments. The first stop was the Walker Art Center Sculpture Garden in Minneapolis, MN, and the last stop was the junkyard sculpture park by Dr. Evermor in Baraboo, Wisconsin. It is hard to imagine a wider spectrum of work.

I had been to the Walker Sculpture Garden many times. It is a very deliberately and intelligently designed park. Formal gardens create a group of outdoor galleries at the beginning. These give way to a more free-form park area of grass expanses and trees. Since I had been there before, I was familiar with nearly all the work. There were only a couple new pieces or groupings on display, and these were all located in the more organic part of the garden. The formal gardens almost never change. The works there are placed permanently and beautifully. Just the right level of light flickers through the trees, dancing over the surfaces of high modern and contemporary work. They are all by big name artists. Only towards the way back did I see something really new. There was a recent competition to design miniature golf holes and a dozen of the winning proposals were installed there. The opening for the show had been a week earlier. These installations were new to the park and yet they were somehow familiar to me. Many of them played with commercial imagery in an ironic attempt to co-opt popular advertising. But mostly they came off as looking as if they were sponsored by major department stores. The works were slick and intelligent. They were high contemporary slumming it for their own amusement.

At the Walker I saw what would become a staple at the more prestigious venues across the country: high art as high religion. You were not invited to touch the work. Children running and playing in the grass seemed somehow inappropriate. A lot of nodding and quiet contemplation. The systematic movement from one work to the next, pausing for an obligatory amount of time. The identification of sculptures by their maker and not their subject or title. And occasionally, you would happen across a transcendent experience, a work so beautiful it would stop you dead in your tracks. A single sculpture that would expand in time and space to eclipse all the others and render them beside the point.

Dr. Evermor’s park was completely different. At a junkyard, one man has fashioned an idiosyncratic vision of classic outsider art. The centerpiece is his Forevertron, an expansive, undisciplined work to serve as both a figurative and literal transporter to other worlds. The surrounding areas are replete with fanciful birds fashioned from musical instruments and giant lizard forms with individual scrap metal scales. There is very little thought given to placement beyond expediency. Works are crammed in with like works in whatever space is available. Often, only enough room to walk between them is left. Viewers are not only allowed to touch the work, they are encouraged to bang on open-ended cylinders attached to a giant, curving dragon to create atonal chimes. The sculptures are often made of rusted metal left unpainted or painted metal in a state of decay. But what imagination! Giant cylinders are transformed into the breasts of an enormous bird. Trumpets and trombones become the tails of peacocks. They don’t simply “represent” these things; they become them! They are the vision of a single man made manifest in the world. They are both a gift and a natural expression. They are like the shells fashioned by the nautilus; unconsciously created, they are an evolving expression of life.

It would have been enormously convenient for my trip if I had been able to easily dismiss this work. If the Walker had succeeded in every way that Dr. Evermor had failed. But it was not that easy. There were a pair of gigantic custom bass violins fashioned into birds at Dr. Evermor’s that did not simply succeed as interesting outsider art; they succeeded as sculpture. They were able to overcome poor placement to shine, and I couldn’t help but wonder how they would have stacked up in the Walker collection with proper placement. And there were sculptures in the Walker propped up with a tasteful display and a big name that if placed in these weeds would have shriveled up into nothing. Though created from junk, the craftsmanship of some of Dr. Evermor’s work rivaled that of sculpture in the Walker collection because craftsmanship is not just technique, it is the care and grace with which that technique is used. But one thing was noticeably missing from the junkyard park, and that was the transcendent experience. As wonderful as certain works were, as much as they evoked amusement and compassion on my part, they could not deliver an other-worldly experience. Is it because they lacked the religious environment of the Walker? Did they lack the aesthetic dimension of a profound sculpture? Was it due to something inherent in the work, the environment of the work, or in my expectations and training as a sculptor myself? In the course of my trip, any answers only became cloudier as I saw the repeated successes and failures of sculpture and sculpture organizations.

The first day set the tone not just thematically but practically as well. We would visit 2-3 different venues each day while driving between 200 and 400 miles. Really important or high profile places, such as Grounds for Sculpture and the Storm King Art Center, would pretty much get the day to themselves. In the evening, I would download all the digital pictures I took that day and post highlights along with a day’s summary on the Sculpture Community Forum of the International Sculpture Center’s website. Using these technologies, I was able to bring others along for the ride and use their questions and reactions to help me clarify my own thoughts.

As the trip progressed, I was surprised at how my thoughts moved from what I could learn from individual sculptures to the construction of the venues. I did not expect how great a role the design and care of the sculpture parks as a whole would affect how I saw the individual sculptures. But if the sites were not maintained, the works were not kept clean, the labels were obscured or absent, it made it difficult to see the work. It did not help either that there were so many poorly constructed and designed sculptures. I learned that a great sculpture can overcome a poor placement, but a mediocre one cannot. In that case, the two seem to pull each other down even lower.

But the other reason for my attention turning away from the individual works is simply because I’d seen many of them so often. A number of museums and parks not only have works by the same artists, but the exact same work as well. I began to wonder about the reasons for this phenomenon which led me to thinking about the nature of these artistic organizations. It dawned on me that in many ways, they were organizations before they were artistic. It is human nature to not trust your own value judgments and the structures of the art community make that even harder. In a notoriously subjective sphere, big names and recognizable works can provide security and prestige. It is the same phenomenon seen in mutual fund managers transferred to the artistic realm. Since nobody really knows what makes for a good stock, buy blue chips. At least you won’t be alone if you’re judgment is poor. The viewer is no different. Since many feel themselves lacking in the expertise to pass value judgments beyond “I like it” or “I don’t like it,” being able to recognize big names can impart the appearance of a meaningful cultural experience. And so the politics of safety motivates organizations to choose certain works over others. Parks are then designed to house these works, and I, as the viewer, find myself in them looking at works of a certain type. I have now come full circle.

Of course, the flip-side of this coin are the aggressively cutting-edge exhibitions that seem to render value judgments beside the point. The works are political, economic, or theoretic. In fact, they are most anything but aesthetic. Just another way of avoiding the question and retreating to the safety of a particular niche. They are little more than a foxhole dug for defense in the culture wars. Identical foxholes can be found housing their exact polar opposites on the other side of the front.

These forces are not only dangerous because of the repetitive experiences they result in, but the weakened sculpture community that could be created. Many if not most of the works at the top museums and parks are by the same, older artists. In fact, it seems as if these forces are so strong that an inferior sculpture by a big name will be chosen over a great sculpture by a lesser or unknown artist. Calder, in particular, is a sculptor prone to this phenomenon. I saw many poor stabiles by him in collections across the country whose main attribute seems to be that he made them. What this does is potentially create an enormous gap of the work of mid-career or younger sculptors. This slack seems to be taken up by the smaller or second-tier sculpture venues where many younger sculptors can be found. In these places, the quality of work fluctuates wildly. Some of these gems shine gloriously and inspire, but all too many are poorly made and poorly designed. At my darkest moments, I could not tell if the large museums were overlooking great younger artists or if there were simply none to find.

But it’s not even as simple as that. Due to our first day, I knew that there were many factors contributing to my “seeing” of a sculpture beyond its inherent design and material. Slowly, I began to get a hint of the Patina. What I call the Patina is the final finish that seems to adhere to world-class work. But unlike a usual patina that is applied by the artist, this Patina is applied by the cultural times, a dealer, a gallery, a museum or an institution. It exists between the viewer and the physical object being seen. Our expectations, education, and inadequacies connect the dots to form the picture we intend to see. The institution, the layout, the big name, the color brochure all help to guide the viewer to see “properly.” The more I think about the Patina, the more it undermines all my own expectations as to what makes for a good sculpture and how a quality work should be received in the world.

Whenever my thoughts began to wander too far, meeting with a great artist in his studio brought me back to the immediate concerns of sculpture. By far, the highlights of my tour were seeing the different ways such talented and intelligent people navigate their way through this complex community. From a single-man shop to one with 3-4 people in the administration alone, each one demonstrated skills beyond simply those of making sculpture. As much as I could learn aesthetically from encountering a great sculpture, I could learn from a great sculptor what makes for a great character. I think sculpture has always attracted more practically oriented people due to the increased interaction of people and the greater responsibility that brings. No matter how large the painting, if it falls over it’s not going to kill anyone. Perhaps most inspiring to see was the great discipline and effort with which they undertake their multiple responsibilities. And being a successful sculptor is about juggling multiple responsibilities. Responsibilities to their collectors, galleries, public boards, employees and, above all, their work. It is just this type of discipline that is obviously lacking in inferior work. It is hard to truly understand just what is missing until you’ve seen the absolute epitome of a great modern sculptor.

In the end, I realized that my initial hypotheses were a good place to start, but they did not take into account the complicated intersection of forces and motivations in the art community today. There is often a noticeable difference in the quality of blue-chip work and lesser work, but I can’t always attribute this to the qualities of the work itself. It is vitally important that a sculpture park be well designed, accessible, and well maintained, but that isn’t enough. The work must inspire awe and imagination as well. A well crafted sculpture does hold up and look better in the natural landscape, but it take more than just that. Cold technical skill are no substitute for the passion and care of the artist’s hand. In short, sculpture today is more grand and meager than I could have ever expected.

My thanks again to the General Mills and Jerome Foundation for making this experience possible.

[ironman]

Hi Sam, Nice report, it sounds like you validated the four hypotheses that you started out with. I just want to say something about the difference between great art and second tier stuff. You always knows when you're seeing a great work of art and it's because of that certain intangible quality that's just about impossible to put into words. It's a visual/feeling thing that there isn't a vocabulary for. Since we live in a world where "communication" is mostly through words it's hard for some people to accept a "wordless" visual communication that really can't be put into words.The saying "a picture's worth a thousand words" comes to mind and I think that we as visual artists communicate thru pictures (sculptures) and not thru words. AM I MAKING ANY SENSE HERE?
Another thing I wanted to say is that when a museum acquires a work of art the work gets some sort of stamp of approval and legitimacy as a worthy piece of art (I hesitate to use the word, "masterpiece" here) that it wouldn't necessarily have when viewed outside the museum environment.
Another point I wish to address is that museum curators are just as insecure as the rest of us, maybe more so and with the proliferation of so much art and so many different styles (pluralism) they don't want to go out on a limb for work by relatively unknown artists, even if they like it, so play it safe and only acquire works by known artists with pedigrees already intact even if the work isn't first rate.
I too love the Walker Art Center, The Lipshitz, "Prometheus slaying the dragon" (I think that's the title) just blew me away and I also liked "Spoon bridge and Cherry", although not a great work, it made me smile, Oldenburg's a funny man. This is bringing back memories. How about that Ruben Nakian piece?, a real gem! I don't remember much else as it's been 13 yrs since my visit.
By the way, the U of A art museum in Tucson has some of the contents of Lipshitz's studio, maquettes, plasters, tools, etc. and is well worth a visit if you're out that way. It's in a room of its own and permanently on display.
Have a nice day, Jeff

[Araich]

Of course, the flip-side of this coin are the aggressively cutting-edge exhibitions that seem to render value judgments beside the point. The works are political, economic, or theoretic. In fact, they are most anything but aesthetic. Just another way of avoiding the question and retreating to the safety of a particular niche. They are little more than a foxhole dug for defense in the culture wars. Identical foxholes can be found housing their exact polar opposites on the other side of the front.


By 'polar opposites on the other side of the front', what kind of work do you mean?

[sculptorsam]

By 'polar opposites on the other side of the front', what kind of work do you mean?

I was thinking of work on the "conservative" end of the spectrum that is only aesthetic on a very superficial level; that is really about something else as well. A lot of contemporary religous art is a good example. Or figurative work that is not about exploring the figure, but about trying to turn the clock back to more "wholesome" art. I had in mind a section from Vonnegut's Cat's Craddle, "Show me a specialist and I'll show you a man so scared of the world he's dug himself a hole to hide in." Only my thought was a little different...

[fritchie]

Sam - I finally had time to copy and read your report. We all see the world differently, and that’s one reason it’s difficult to evaluate art and to separate the great from the mediocre. The point in your report that I could relate to most closely is the “group instinct” or “herd instinct” seen in many and probably most public venues.

As I settled into my own professional career locally with a university many years ago, I began to look seriously at the local art scene and to ask how it might help create a richer artistic environment. I saw many young artists, and I’m thinking now primarily about sculpture, but this applies to painters also, who were producing excellent work and selling it at relatively low prices.

I thought, “How great an opportunity for the city museum to build a superb collection with minimal resources!” Unfortunately, the managers, not only here, but probably almost everywhere, were as timid as the ones you infer. They would buy one work by a “name” artist, even a relatively mediocre work by my estimate, rather than spend the same amount of money to acquire fifty to a hundred works by young artists, works that I might consider superior.

Of course, to be fair to these managers, they have to consider not only the risk of making an esthetic decision that is expensive and may later be shown to be poor, but also the need to attract visitors, public dollars, and hopefully major donors. They are hired to balance all those matters, and not simply to exercise individual esthetic judgement.

Over the years, I’ve come to decide that institutions can’t collect great art; only individuals can do that. What the institutions can do, if they amass enough resource, is to buy or receive great collections from individuals. That, in fact, is what the best and the richest institutions do.

And how to recognize great art at first sight? Each person has to set his/her own criteria. I was fortunate to have an early scholarship that enabled me to see the “best” collections in New York and various Western European centers at the beginning of my adulthood. That experience, and complementary ones over the years, informed my esthetic taste, primarily along pre-modern lines, of course, but I see equally good modern and postmodern work. The best never is common, and there always is the problem that “one man’s treasure is another man’s trash”.

[sculptorsam]

I fully understand the difficulties these institutions and their administrators face. Put in their shoes, and given their responsibilities, I could even see myself making similar ones. I didn't intend my report to come across as a condemnation of the profession but as observations of one who loves sculpture and wants the community to be as strong as it possibly can be.

But I will disagree that aesthetic judgment comes down to arbitrary taste. I believe it is possible to discern Quality work (a la Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance), though in many cases we have created, or allowed others to create, filters through which we see or even obscure. Or perhaps we have not allowed ourselves to pass judgments for fear of being wrong or lacking sufficient knowledge for 100 percent certainty.

While on the trip I spent as much time as I could watching people's reactions to the works to see what I could learn. Often, they were very complex and mediated by a multitude of expectations, education, class and personal pride. In many cases, these seemed to just make it harder for the viewer to pass a judgment on the work. In fact, these forces seemed designed to short-circuit the critical function inherent in us. And I think the individual critique of a work is very important for a fully engaged viewer. It binds you to the work, in a sense, and forces you to own a stake in it's existence. To have a "dog in the fight" as it were, even if you wish that dog a painful death and quick obscurity.

This is one of the reasons I felt it was so valuable to have my wife along with me. She is not inherently an art person and can be brutally dismissive of sub-standard work. Yet we seemed to be able to agree generally on the relative ranking of the quality of works we saw. There were of course times we disagreed, and then much discussion would result. Sometimes I could convince her of the merit I saw, sometimes it came down to taste, but quite often I was able to see that my own blinders were on. I found myself arguing in favor of the conventional wisdom or from a "learned" perspective as to the "importance" of a work. I don't exclude myself from my criticisms, but nor do I feel it's honest to say it's all subjective.

Thanks for taking the time to read and react to it, fritchie. I appreciate it.

Sam

[fritchie]

I fully understand the difficulties these institutions and their administrators face. Put in their shoes, and given their responsibilities, I could even see myself making similar ones. I didn't intend my report to come across as a condemnation of the profession but as observations of one who loves sculpture and wants the community to be as strong as it possibly can be.

But I will disagree that aesthetic judgment comes down to arbitrary taste. I believe it is possible to discern Quality work (a la Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance), though in many cases we have created, or allowed others to create, filters through which we see or even obscure.. ....
Sam

Sam - I understand that you are taking an open, positive approach, and of course I agree that that is best. I’m just relating that my own early approach was somewhat similar to yours, and that over time I came to see more complexity in institutional management. Times and places are different, and you should approach this situation in any way you think best. (As if you would do otherwise!)

Typically, I have an instantaneous reaction to the quality of a sculpture, and often to a painting as well. Either it’s good (excellent) or it’s not. If I don’t consider it excellent, I still may find value in it for historical or cultural reasons. I suspect this is what you describe as a Zen approach, but it’s been about 40 years since I read that book, and it passed through without leaving any great memory, so I’m not sure. I do fully respect the Zen approach, I just don’t remember that book very well.

Over a lifetime, I’ve only met one other person who has admitted to having similar esthetic reactions, an area painter who was largely self-taught but not in the sense of naive. He had worked with various excellent schools and individuals, and had a quite sophisticated approach, but it was completely original, almost 3D painting on a 2D plane, with exceptional presence and unusually vivid but appropriate colors.

I had found his first exhibition (at my Art School) striking but puzzling, and I had made many long visits, trying to understand his approach. He was there one day, and I told him my problem. In the following conversation, he volunteered that he would walk about just looking, and something would just hit him - an inch or two to the right or left was wrong, but that spot was exactly right. That seemed similar to my perception of sculpture. It’s exactly right on first viewing, or it’s never right.

Can I assume that my evaluation would match yours?

[fritchie]

Sam - I tried to get "Zen and ..." at my college library today, but there's one copy and it's out. I did enjoy this earlier, and I’ll reread it as soon as I can.

[sculptorsam]

Can I assume that my evaluation would match yours?

No, I don't think this can be assumed for a variety of reasons. I will add though that I think it's possible to recognize a Quality work, or body of work, without liking it. I'm not arguing that we all don't have personal preferences, just that it's possible to see beyond them. Noguchi is a good example of someone whose work I initially did not "like" but still respected. Over time, I came to see him as one of the greatest sculptors of the 20th century. And of course, I'm not alone in that.

And you should be able to pick up a copy of Zen at a used book store for under a buck. There were umpteen-million printed and they're always turning up somewhere.

[fritchie]

No, I don't think this can be assumed for a variety of reasons. I will add though that I think it's possible to recognize a Quality work, or body of work, without liking it. I'm not arguing that we all don't have personal preferences, just that it's possible to see beyond them.

Sam - I think we may be saying the same thing in different words. I dislike the word “like” in approaching sculpture or any other esthetic object. See my reaction many months ago to Anne’s question something like “What is your favorite sculpture of the twentieth century?”

What I look for is “quality”, according to my own standards, of course; something that goes beyond like or dislike.

And I think the conservatism institutional curators exhibit is a way of dealing with esthetics in a democratic society. We both seem to agree that quality exists apart from individual judgement, but the question institutions face is “How do we reliably detect and measure quality?”

I think the answer is to wait for a sort of group decision. Let individuals with resources collect work from individual artists, and watch the reaction of at least a group of perceptive individuals for some collective judgement. When this judgement becomes clear through auctions, publications, or some other means, then act by taking these works into the public esthetic treasury.

Of course, this process, if my ideas are correct, can be manipulated by art marketers. They can buy attention through influential publications and venues, either through cash-advertizing in media, or by donating works to prominent venues.

Genuinely excellent work hopefully will penetrate this smokescreen and will enter the public treasury for long residence, but much work of lesser quality will be transported at the same time by the manipulation.

[pinballannie]

SSam--
Delightful to piggyback on someone else's tour!

What's the E Coast itinerary, if you have one?

PBannie

[sculptorsam]

Here you go, Annie. This is what my final itinerary ended up being. Pretty close to what I left with actually, which at the time I thought was quite ambitious.

And perhaps it is like my old friend used to say, fritchie: We agree, we just don't know it yet.

Sam

[gregmueller]

Hey Sam
Thanks for sharing the journey with us--sorry I was not in Ohio during your Toledo search for a hotel--I should have left my door open.
Obviously the trip inspired you but it also inspired the rest of us to
"make good work"

Be well

Greg Mueller

[chaz-abstracts]

Wow! that was a great thread thanks for taking the time and your thoughts
in what makes a good sculpture is what we all should to strive for,I will be looking forward to more.

[RuBert]

Friday morning, we headed over with Russ and Pam to check out the shop. I can say now that I have seen the future of sculpture and it is called RuBert Studios. There I saw the near complete integration of material and computer technology.

Sam, I wanted to say again that it was a pleasure to have you and Mandy visit our Studio and we enjoyed meeting you personally. I will mention your thread at the New Orleans Sculpture Conference, and Sculpture Magazine is interested in giving Sculpture Community some new coverage. I'll talk with you more about that later.

Your efforts in documenting your trip on Sculpture Community was a wonderful and informative experience, well worth reading again.

[sculptorsam]

Thanks, Russ. I'm glad others enjoyed it but I'm particularly glad for myself to have it to jog my memory. Just the other day a couple museums were bleeding into each other in my mind. Luckily, I just had to check in here to remember where I was and what I saw. With the distance of time I am truly beginning to appreciate how much I gained from the experience.

[sculptorsam]

I think this fits here so I'm gonna go ahead and add it:

Last week I visited the Krasl Art Center in St. Joseph, Michigan for the show Sculptors Choice - Making and Collecting which featured work by Richard Hunt and from his collection of African sculpture. Here are some of the better group shots.

[sculptorsam]

Afterwards, I was lucky enough to be able to visit Richard Hunt's satelite studio nearby in Benton Harbor. The visit was set up for my by Sue Wilczak, the Krasl's Director of Exhibitions and Collections, and made possible by Jesus Lopez, Richard's right-hand-man. He braved a building with no heat to give me a chance to look around. It's in a beatiful older corner building with sculptures lining the street. Inside are works from all periods of Richard's career, including some truly remarkable earlier works that are my personal favorites. Some of the rooms, including the main one on the lower level, serve as temporary displays between shows. I love that because it means they are constantly changing and it give you an insight into the selection process. Jesus commented that he envisions the studio as a museum for a great living sculptor so all are welcome to visit if you're in the area.

[fritchie]

Sam - Thanks for posting this. These are some really nice sculptures and great pictures! It certainly will be an excellent venue/museum.

[Fat Cat]

After that, we went to the Strong Museum in downtown Rochester to see this sculpture. It has always been a favorite of mine:

In one issue of a bmx video magazine that I have, a kid stunts through that sculpture. Pretty neat.

[eLITe]

Very informative indeed Sam, thanks!

[GlennT]

I just went through this thread for the first time. Thanks for the effort, sculptorsam! I wanted to add a comment to the discussion about quality, likeability, etc. of the works. In the whole series , excluding the Rodin's, I found eight works that I would want to look at more than once. These eight reach a standard of excellence in design and execution that transcend ephemeral or novel, althoough some amongst those are of the playful type.

The rest to me look like various attempts to weld metal together and see what happens, or otherwise manipulate form without a strong idea of what it is about. Or, in some cases, doing it just for the whimsical fun of it. Which, of course, is fine. I'm not criticizing that approach, just making a point about what some of these works have accomplished that set themselves above the rest in my mind.

With the exception of one or two of the eight pieces, none of these had I seen before nor was I familiar with the artists. Any of the eight would be works that I would welcome in an environment where I would see them daily. The others would become tedious in such circumstances.

I don't want to list which eight these are, but I urge those who are involved in creating public art to reach for your highest and best efforts in these situations, so that the work will remain in the realm of timelessness rather than a future eyesore. The eight that I mention have the power to inspire deeper thought and reflection, and can stir the soul of an artist to go back to the studio and create!, and feel like they are a vital part of this grand procession called life!

[suburbanartists]

Huge effort. I too never saw this until today. A very belated Thanks......