Meet SPOT!

Installation is currently underway in NYC for Donald Lipski's most recent work of public art. 'SPOT!' now lives at the NYU Langone's new Hassenfeld Children's Hospital. Donald Lipski has designed a sculpture sure to capture the hearts and imaginations of the patients and families who enter this new state of the art facility. Lipski wanted to make something so astounding it would distract even those arriving for the most serious procedures, and so lovable that young patients coming back again and again with chronic conditions would see SPOT! as an old friend. "I like to think that the parents, the doctors, the nurses, the staff and the neighbors, will all be smitten by this playful, heroic young dog doing the impossible. Art has actual healing power," says Lipski when describing the 2 1/2 story tall Dalmatian balancing a taxi cab on it's nose. Click here to read more about this project. 

Special thanks to everyone who made this project possible:

FAST Corp, Nick Geurts and Ryan Elmendorf of Yetiweurks Art + Engineering, Christopher Collins, Jamie Powell and his team at Maaco, Dynamite Graphic, a team of riggers and installers from Crozier Fine Arts, led by Susie Parker, Katherine Meeham the Manager of NYU’s Public Art Program and Collection and many more. 

Behind the Scenes Peek at SGF in Carrara

John recently traveled to Carrara, Italy to check in on the progress of an upcoming project in the works with Larry Kirkland. Carrara is well known for the white and blue-grey marble that is quarried there alongside the Carrione River. SGF Sculpture & Design has been realizing works in marble, granite and other stones for international artists, architects and designers since 1973. Their facility fabricates large scale sculpture and also offers studio space and assistance to artists who prefer to work on site. Here's John's photo journal from his recent trip, enjoy!

Single Wire Squaring and Slabbing Machine

Artist Studio Space

Marble Quarry

Closing the Books on 'Woven Light'

Installation for Catherine Widgery's 'Woven Light' wrapped up earlier this month. Thanks to the amazing team at JunoWorks and Cody Moore for all their hard work on this project. 

"Woven Light is an outdoor room; you are inside and outside at the same time and the shadows, light and projected color make you more conscious of the sun and the breeze than if you were standing in the open. When seen from the outside, the dichroic glass between the slats reflects the sky and surrounding trees. Inside is like being in a kaleidoscope of moving colored lights on the darkened interior as the sun shifts angle."

"We can look through the openings or through the glass that changes the color of the landscape like a lens. Endlessly changing patterns of crisscrossing shadows and reflected light within and on the ground dematerialize the structure and make a rich shadow on the ground extending the impact of the art beyond its physical boundaries. Woven Light is a shady refuge from the intensity of the prairie light. The angle of the slats will always cast shadow somewhere in the structure no matter where the sun.  Seating along the curved walls inside encourages people to stay and ponder the light and space. Woven Light is a structure through which we discover the beauty that surrounds us: the sky, mountains in the distance, sunlight and leaves on the nearby trees moving in the wind." Text from Catherine Widgery: widgery.com

If you are in the Denver area you can experience ‘Woven Light’ at the Northfield Uplands Park in Stapleton.

Calgary Update

This is internationally recognized sculptor Chris Collins finishing up details on the bird sculptures prior to having them cast in fiberglass. For more info on this Donald Lipski project click here. 

Grant Street Pier Complete

The excerpt below is taken from the article Troy Brynelson wrote for The Columbian in January of 2018 in regards to the recent completion of Larry Kirkland's Grant Street Pier design as part of the Vancouver Waterfront Park. 

"Internationally known artist Larry Kirkland designed the pier with both form and function in mind. Permanent beams would disrupt the river too much, so his design channeled a ship to hang a V-shaped walkway from a 75-foot mast.

“It was just a suggestion in a meeting that I said I bet you could hold this up with a mast and get rid of the pilings,” Kirkland said. “Nobody wanted those.”

When asked how closely the nearly finished pier matched his vision, Kirkland said “I’m thrilled. I can’t wait to walk out there.”

The pier and two restaurant buildings along the shore at its sides are expected to open in July.

Kirkland, who is based in Washington D.C., flew in and visited the pier on Wednesday when the sky was a monochromatic gray. He said he realized how the pier will change with the weather.

“Against a blue sky it’s going to feel very different,” he said. “I think that’s the nice thing about it: as a static thing, it’s going to change as the sky around it changes.”

Crews now will turn their attention to building a 3,800-square-foot plaza that ties together the pier and the buildings. Made of concrete and basalt pavers, the plaza will include bench seating and plants."

Click here to read the full article.

Vancouver Waterfront Update

With the Pier section of the Vancouver Waterfront, designed by Larry Kirkland, now complete, focus is shifting to the interactive Water Feature. The interactive Water Feature is both a place to play as well as learn and contemplate the Columbia River, it’s tributaries and the  vast land area that makes up it’s watershed.

Calgary Behind the Scenes Peek

Here's a peek into the studio practice of Christopher Collins who is sculpting the various birds to be depicted in the Donald Lipski installation coming soon to Calgary. Learn more about Collins here: collinsstudio.com and check back for project updates. 

Woven Light Site Visit

Here are some progress shots taken during a recent site visit to Catherine Widgery's work Woven Light currently being installed at Northfield Uplands Park in Stapleton, CO. 

Pier mast rises at The Waterfront Vancouver

When Larry Kirkland designed the Grant Street Pier, he hoped it would mirror a sailboat passing along the Columbia River.

That resemblance is coming together this week after the arrival of a white, steel mast rising near the base of the pier. When the pier opens next summer, the 75-foot beam will keep it aloft over the river with galvanized steel cables.

Temporary cables can already be seen linked into the mast, but those will be replaced by permanent cables in December, city officials said Wednesday. After that, wood pilings underneath the pier will come out.

“We’re super excited that we have the mast up. It’s really going to be a visual highlight of the park, and to get that major milestone behind us is terrific,” said Julie Hannon, the city’s Parks & Recreation director.

Click here to read the full article from The Columbian. 

Vancouver Water Front Pier Update

Progress video of Larry Kirkland's design for the Vancouver Water Front Pier.