Big art

Viewers can touch, sit in, walk around, contemplate and be amused by 18 sculptures, 10 to 21 feet high, that line Sarasota's bayfront.

By MARY ANN MARGER

© St. Petersburg Times, published December 17, 2000

Jorge Blanco, Smile, 2000, aluminum, steel and enamel, 12 feet high

SARASOTA -- Be of good cheer. You can't help it if you check out Sarasota's "Season of Sculpture" along the city's bayfront, where 18 works of art line a three-quarter-mile stretch of land.

From Jorge Blanco's yellow enamel figure with the football-shaped head (titled Smile) to Evan Lewis' shrunken Eiffel Tower with a giant waterbug atop (just one interpretation), the show turns a stroll by the bay into uncommonly good fun.

Not that some of the works won't make you think. But the attitude of the show as a whole, and the placement in a beautiful and accessible area just off downtown, is sure to please. Make a day of it by combining it with a trip to the Smithsonian's "Gilded Age," newly opened at the Ringling Museum of Art.

And what could be more natural than sculpture to show off Sarasota's longstanding reputation in the arts, points out Bruce White, who led the production effort with executive director Jill Kaplan. The city's logo is Michelangelo's statue of David.

White, a sculptor, and Kaplan worked out the idea two years ago. Kaplan was then an artist's representative recently relocated from New York. The show follows the lead of Chicago's Pier Walk, where more than a hundred sculptures annually line Navy Pier overlooking Lake Michigan. That show, heading into its sixth year, has grown from just three works in the first show to become the biggest large-scale sculpture exhibition in the world, and is seen by millions of visitors.

White, who maintains homes in both Illinois and Nokomis, has been involved in Pier Walk. He enlisted Terrence Karpowicz, sculptor and former co-producer of Pier Walk, to help with the invitation and selection of artists from throughout the United States.

Nathan Overley, Eclipse, 2000, concrete and painted steel

All works had to stand on their own without outside support and be able to endure the elements as well as public probing during the four months they are on view. The artists had to have a track record of following through on their proposals. Because the show is on city property, Sarasota's public art committee had to insure that no work would be controversial or offensive. Funding came from corporate, private, foundation and Tourist Development Commission sources. Organizers have scheduled several educational opportunities for the public throughout the run of the show; call for an update. And they also plan a second show in 2002, with a preview next year.

Two artists, Jorge Blanco and Dennis Kowal, live in Sarasota. Kowal's work, Photon II, was awarded the Florida Department of State's Millennium Cultural Recognition award.

Navigating the show is easy. The entire route is about three-quarters of a mile, or 11/2miles up and back to your car. Bike and walking paths run alongside the route.

R.F. Buckley, Sleep that Knits Up the Ravelled cqSleave of Care, 2000, forged aluminum

The works are as tall as 21 feet, and average 10 to 13 feet. Some are whimsical, some are serious, some are minimalist and abstract. All have text giving adequate information; a map handout will be available soon (to receive an advance copy, call or e-mail; see box).

Most works were created this year. None are site specific; a few have been in the Navy Pier show. The works are for sale at prices from $16,000 to $75,000.

"What I love about this show is seeing families walk up to the art," says Kaplan. "I ask them what they think, and they say they love it."

As with any good art, the works respond to inspection. Don't just contemplate Bobby Jo Scribner's Hairdo; walk around it and discover nine hidden objects including a boat, an iron, a fork, a house and an hourglass. Meditate inside Roger Colombik's When I Return; a low seat is provided for your convenience. Run your hand over R.F. Buckley's "satin" pillowcases of aluminum. Hear Nathan Overley's 500-pound ball groan as you rotate it (which is not as difficult as it sounds).

Puzzle over White's yellow aluminum piece. Is it called Riddle because it's riddled with holes, much like a piece of Swiss cheese, or is there a deeper meaning? White also created Samurai, a permanent city-owned piece at Five Points Park a few blocks away.

The works, north to south:

1 Jorge Blanco, Smile, aluminum, steel and enamel

2 Terrence Karpowicz, Acclivity, bronze and steel

3 Rojelio Tijerina, The Process, bronze and steel

4 Preston Jackson, Travels of My Seven Sisters, stainless steel and bronze

5 Dennis Kowal, Photon II, marine grade aluminum

6 Nathan Overley, Eclipse, concrete and painted steel

7 Tom Stancliffe, Ebb Tide, bronze and stainless steel

8 R.F. Buckley, Sleep that Knits Up the Ravelled Sleave of Care, forged aluminum

9 Bruce White, Riddle, painted aluminum

10 Rob Lorenson, Open Apex, stainless steel

11 Derick Malkemus, Blockout, cast concrete, steel, stainless steel

12 David E. Davis, Silent Tower, stainless steel

13 Bobby Joe Scribner, Hairdo, welded steel

14 Jerry Peart, Cassia, aluminum, shotcrete and paint

15 Scott Wallace, Fancy Heart, sheet bronze

16 Roger Colombik, When I Return, bronze, aluminum, stone, resin, leaf

17 Judith Strahota, Support Where Most Needed, Douglas fir wood, fire hose and steel

18 Evan Lewis, Weather Maker, stainless steel and aluminum

Art review

The Sarasota Season of Sculpture consists of 18 large-scale works, along U.S. 41 between Gulfstream and and Palm avenues, Sarasota. Continues through March 19. Free. Parking available north and south of Marina Jack's. For information: (941) 331-2008; e-mail kaplangr@gte.net

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