Category steel sculpture

Jaume Plensa’s Sculptures Make Many Meaningful Connections

May 23, 2021 · by · in Art, art history, Artists, commuity, Contemporary Sculpture, Harvard University, International art, ironwork, Monumental sculpture, museums, parks, portraits, public art, public art tours, Sculpture, Sculpture Parks, steel, steel sculpture, Videos, visual art · 4 Comments

Jaume Plensa’s Humming came to deCordova Sculpture Park almost ten years ago, generating innumerable reminders of how powerful sculpture can be. As a guide at the park, Humming has given me reliable ways to connect with others about how and why a tall translucent entrancing head might come to be. Humming has brought perspective to other art in the park, and it has led me to more sculpture by the same artist as well.

Metal Preserves and Transforms Features of Trees in Art by Ed Shay and Letha Wilson

April 5, 2021 · by · in animals in art, architecture, Art, Artists, bronze, design, environmental sculpture, history, landmarks, Nature study, painting, parks, photography, ponds, public art, Sculpture, steel, steel sculpture, technology, trees, Videos, visual art, Weather and seasons, women artists · 1 Comment

Ed Shay’s ten-foot-tall bronze “Acadian Gyro” entered deCordova Sculpture park about three decades ago. Letha Wilson’s nearly as tall cor-ten steel sculpture “Hawaii California Steel(Figure/Ground)” came in about two years ago. Until now I hadn’t  considered their common key elements: 1) attention to the forms of leaves and branches, 2) expressive rendering of those forms in durable metals ( bronze and steel) 3)relation to the seasonally changing foliage of nearby trees. My awareness grew from posting about four more obviously tree-related artworks in the park and noting further connections. Though I have been a volunteer guide in the park for almost two decades, this focus led me deeper into resources with heightened reasons to share them.

African Masks Generated Art in Restored Sculptures by Vusumuzi Maduna

March 4, 2021 · by · in African American History, Art, art history, art restoration, Artists, collaborative art projects, commuity, Contemporary Sculpture, design, history, Monumental sculpture, public art, Sculpture, steel sculpture, visual art, wood sculptures · 1 Comment

In the early 1980’s artist Vusumuzi Maduna created two monumental sculptures inspired by African masks; “Inner City Totem I” outside the Cambridge Community Center and “Inner City Totem II” outside Margaret Fuller House. Sadly stressed by decades of New England seasons, both were recently restored in ways that should help them stand through countless decades ahead. Here are photos from my visits to each site this month with quotes from key resources about the art, artist, and restoration.

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