Category bronze

David Fichter and David Phillips Honor Community Histories in Public Art

November 11, 2019 · by · in African American History, architecture, Art, Artists, bronze, children, collaborative art projects, collabrative murals, commuity, Contemporary Sculpture, graphic design, historical murals, history, interactive art, landmarks, Monumental sculpture, mural process, Murals, parks, photography, political issues, public art, Sculpture, visual art, Women's history · 2 Comments

David Phillips is a sculptor; David Fichter is a muralist. With their distinctly different materials, both are masters of rendering historical figures and events. Both have created public art that is densely packed with researched images and documents. As public art, the expansive colorful mural and the tactile intimate bronze relief wait openly for anyone who wants to focus on some sign or scene and make their own associations.

Admire Animals by Artist Katharine Lane Weems in Boston: Dogs, Dolphins, Rhinos and More

August 31, 2019 · by · in animals in art, architecture, Art, art and science study, Artists, bronze, children, clay sculpture, commuity, design, Exhibits, fountains, Harvard University, history, landmarks, landscape architecture, memorial, Monumental sculpture, parks, playgrounds, public art, Sculpture, Statues, Videos, visual art, women artists, Women's history · 2 Comments

The more I learn about sculpture by Katharine Lane Weems (1898 — 1989), the more I admire the art, the artist and the animals. An earlier post about two rhinos, Bess and Victoria, installed 1937 in Cambridge led me on to sites in Boston with work by this artist “famous for her realistic portrayals of animals.”  Her art combined scientific accuracy, meticulous renderings, and creative design to bring out the animals’ majesty and character. This post notes four places in Boston to be in the presence of her elegant animals. 

David Phillips’ Art Engages All Ages at Playspace on the Esplanade

July 18, 2019 · by · in animals in art, architecture, Art, Artists, bronze, children, design, families, humor, interactive art, landscape architecture, parks, playgrounds, public art, Sculpture, visual art · 4 Comments

For several years ( since 2013) David Phillip’s bronze turtles, frogs, spheres and connecting features have captivated visitors in Playspace, the lively popular playground on the Esplanade. Recently I renewed my appreciation of their subtly balanced momentum and how readily they stimulate stories.

Tufts’ Monumental Mascot: Jumbo by Steven Whyte

April 28, 2019 · by · in animals in art, Art, Artists, bronze, celebrations, circus, clay sculpture, commuity, gardens, history, memorial, Monumental sculpture, public art, Sculpture, studios, visual art · 2 Comments

The first time I saw Steven Whyte’s Jumbo statue on the Tufts University campus I had big plans to post about it. That was in April 2015 when it was first installed and celebrated.  Now four years including several visits later, I know that the massive range of Jumbo’s stories kept me from a decisive post. Today I’ll try to step back and share a bit of the big picture.

Men in Cambridge Made by Women: Anne Whitney and Theo Alice Ruggles Kitson

April 3, 2019 · by · in Art, art history, Artists, bronze, commuity, Harvard University, history, Massachusetts history, memorial, Monumental sculpture, political issues, public art, Sculpture, visual art, women artists, Women's history · 2 Comments

The statues of Charles Sumner and the Hiker both connect to stories worth telling, well told in the quotes below. The Sumner statue story leads back to a much earlier Boston proposal that was rejected because the artist Anne Whitney was a woman. The Hiker statue story leads on to a much later time when fifty bronze replicas of Kitson’s original around the country became part of a scientific study.

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