Monday, October 3, 2011

Celebration: A Ten-Legged Decagon

I just finished and installed a new public sculpture for a two year exhibit in front of the Vermont Arts Council here in Montpelier. It is made with northern white cedar so it will soon have a consistent gray patina over the surface and it won't need any treatment to prevent rot for many years to come.
Celebration
cedar and metal hardware
47" x 152" x 152"
Robert Hitzig
Because I can't draw worth-a-darn, I made a model to get approval from the Arts Council. I had hoped that a five-legged decagon would work, but
when I compared this image with the ten-legged version, I realized that five legs just didn't have much of an impact.
I had also thought that when I installed it, I would arrange some of the legs upside-down or going in a different direction, but I found that wasn't a good idea either. Luckily, the legs are bolted into place and it is very easy to play around with different configuration to find what works best.
The opening reception for the exhibit is Friday, October 7 during the Montpelier Art Walk. Unfortunately, I won't be able to attend since I will be in Northampton, MA for the Paradise City Arts Festival. Anyone wishing to see the piece in person can find it on State St, just west of the State House, until late summer 2013.

Update October 5, 2011: I was a bit too quick in putting this post up. It turns out that the installation of this piece in the front of the Arts Council conflicted too much with other sculptures already there so I needed to move it to a tree in the back of the building. It won't get as many viewers but I think it still looks good and it is great to be included in the exhibit regardless of the tree it circles.
Celebration
cedar and metal hardware
47" x 152" x 152"
Robert Hitzig