Sunday, March 27, 2011

2004 Hearts, Hands and Homes of Bangor

            This stained glass mosaic was designed with Bangor Middle School Eighth graders in 2004 as an exploration and synthesis of their community's heritage and values. Known as the "Slate Belt" we incorporated "slate roofs" over the yellow doorways of the "houses". The students chose to make the "roofs" slightly curved, like the points of the arrowheads used by the Woodland Era Munsee Lenape tribe, that inhabited the region in pre colonial times. At the center is a daffodil, a symbol of life, longevity and hope to the Welsh early settlers, whose livelihood was in the slate mines. A symbol of Christianity  eternal life, and sustenance, two fish, signifying the purifying aspects of the Delaware River nearby, and the creek that runs through town, surround the daffodil.
Pictured above are the "Hands" and "Hearts" of Bangor. The adage "Many hands make light work" was true of this mosaic. I worked with the eighth graders to develop the themes, choose the imagery, and work them into a symmetric, mandala like design. The cutting and assembly of the glass was expertly done by "Expressions in Glass" on Johnsonville Road in Bangor, PA

                                 The five petals of this daffodil remind me of the head, hands and legs of the human figure, with the red center like a  heart, a central touchstone for the entire piece.

Site Specific, Community Collaborative Public Sculpture "Bird Song, Bird Dance"

This piece was part of an artist in residence award, with funding from PA Department of Community and Economic Development. The site, at Tannersville Learning Center in Tannersville PA, now houses a sculpture park,  the result of years of dedicated effort on the part of the Pocono Mountain School District Art Faculty, especially Susan Crowley and Linda Danges, and the visionary leadership of Elementary School Principal Catherine Sweeney, and contributions from the Philip and Muriel Berman Public Art Endowment.



The "feature" piece in the Bird Song, Bird Dance installation, pictured front is the belltower, complete with a raptor at its top, designed by a lively and inspired Kindergarten class, via experimentation with found metal forms, such as bushings, metal points, etc. The powder coated cardinals are the school mascot, and populate the mobile which circulates around the tower. The bell, which can be struck by students, is a freshwater bouey. Pictured distant right is the killdeer bench, visible left is the Great Heron, part of three field and water birds assembled from fresh water boueys. The Heron's head bobs on a spring coil neck, and its body swings from legs anchored in the earth. The distant red legs are the base of the pegasus, concieved by fourth graders.


        Pictured top is the pegasus, with powder coated machine table legs. and an old tractor wheel body. Metal artist Jim Doherty did the welding and fabrication. The I beam bench was assembled on site, with the students choosing the orientation of the base, and even reciting the vocabulary of "paralell" and "intersecting" legs. The killdeer housed in the cylinder was designed by me. Linda had noted that the school is an important migratory killdeer route: The females nest on the flat top of the school's roof in spring.

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Pink

"Making Her Bed" wood, paint, mixed media
"Hope's Chest" wood, mixed media
"Brush and Comb" 1 x 5 x 10 ", wood and paint



"Candi Box" exterior; Paper, wood, paint


"Candi Box" Interior




Patriotic Patriarchy

"Patriotic Patriarchy: Stolen Red Dress" silk, paper, paint, wood


"Patriotic Patriarchy: Stolen Red Dress" silk, paper, paint, wood