Artway Phase Two

Dreamsicle
Nathan Pierce

In this modern world, where we constantly feel more connected through advancements in technology, I believe that we are simultaneously disconnected as a result of these devices.

By using public art as a vehicle for expressing contemporary issues concerning communication I see the concept for my work becoming more relevant every day. Through the radiating spokes of my abstracted satellite forms I hope to engage the viewers’ curiosity and invite public interaction.

Dealing with issues of communication in my own life I have realized this is a struggle that many of us encounter. As I think about the idea of communication I realize that I can internalize this issue, or make it as broad as the world around me. How can we better communicate ourselves to the world? That is the question.

These forms seem to remind us of some type of foreign communication device. Appendages reaching outward to send or receive signals from others, it is difficult to discern whether it is from the future or the past, and how well it served its purpose.

We may also decide that these devices illustrate an overwhelming desire to be understood in our own efforts of communication. The examination into the roles we play and the quality of our own personal relationships is the intention of these forms. These devices may be tangible evidence of how communication succeeds or fails in our own lives and in the lives of others.

Shelter II (basics)
Matthias Neumann

“Shelter II (basics)” is a site-specific installation that continues a body of work under the title “basics,” that explores an abstract notion of form, material, space, and utility. “basics” is based on a constructive logic of additive 2 x 4 ft. wood studs that allow a monumentality through every-day means. The work should be experienced both as an abstract sculptural gesture as well as an interactive spatial environment. “basics” encourages an uncertainty in the dialog between the viewer and the work and opens possibilities in the public quality and appropriation of the work. The temporality of the site-specific intervention is mirrored by the material and constructive logic of the work.

Phil Proctor (artist)

I strive to design and execute artworks that intrigue and inspire a viewer about their place in a space. My work exhibits a relationship between our existence as a human species and the universe in which we exist. I examine the tools and concepts that we have created in order to understand our world, and I explore ideas that dwell on the boundaries of reason and logic. I believe these explorations are the fertile grounds from which true discoveries are born.

Earth, Water, Fire, Wind
Hanna Jubran | steel and paint

This abstract, painted steel sculpture depicts the four elements of Greek philosophy — earth, water, fire, and wind. The circular form can be interpreted as the sun, the moon rising or setting, and the cycle of life. The horizontal and diagonal forms represent water and earth and are in a variety of forms, shapes, and colors as they occur in nature. Although specific colors represent the elements in this sculpture, those colors change depending on the time of day, season, surrounding landscape, and as you move around the sculpture. My work addresses the concept of time, movement, balance, and space. Each sculpture occupies and creates its own reality influenced by its immediate surroundings.

As Khalil Gibran said, “The mission of art is to bring out the unfamiliar to the most familiar.” With this, I would like the viewer to gaze, interact, and experience my sculpture.

Prairie Vane
Dan Perry

“Prairie Vane” is based in the notion of a portable landscape stemming from my time living in the Midwest. The architecture of rural Iowa varies greatly, yet the common theme is how it is adapted to meet the needs of people. This adaptation isn’t always ‘pretty,’ but necessary.

Sculptures are composed in ways that imply a narrative to which the viewer becomes a witness – part of a scene; a moment suspended in time. I use color to accentuate form and shift scales and perspectives challenging viewers to question their physical relationship to the world. My recent work explores architectural influences on our cultural and social interactions. I find that seemingly mundane architectural elements become historical markers – visual beacons to our passage through time.