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Lynn Basa

Visual Arts: Mosaics, Other, Sculpture

With public art, the people, history, and purpose of a place become my materials. Every public art commission starts with the aspirations of its community, whether it’s about commemoration or commerce; reparation or reclamation, it all forms the symbolic meaning of my work. This human effort and constant innovation fueled by the necessity for survival is what I celebrate in my public work.

Robert Craig

Visual Arts: Sculpture

Abstraction and the study of material culture is central to my current studio practices and methodology; fabricated metal is my primary medium. The referential qualities of my sculpture are accomplished through part-to-part relationships of hybrid forms that retain some degree of their origins while also pointing to other destinations. Color is a critical element, and the colors are chosen to be as suggestive as the assembled structure itself. I have considerable experience creating durable monumental sculptures that create a welcoming sense of place and offer new perspectives on the surrounding environment. I can productively work within a timeframe and a budget. My sculptures are permanently situated in private and public locations in Iowa, Massachusetts, Virginia, and Florida. I have received commissions for Grinnell College, the City of Cedar Falls, and the Blanden Art Museum. I regularly exhibit my sculpture in national competitive public art exhibitions.

Charla Elizabeth

Visual Arts: Sculpture

I find great value in nature and its feminine essence, and I honor both in my artwork. Mother Nature, the essential natural feminine force that sustains us, inspires me and I have partnered with her my entire artistic life. At its essence, my work is about promoting balance.

Faducci LLC - Solomon Bassoff

Visual Arts: Mosaics, Sculpture

Faducci was developed in 2002 by the combined exploration of artists Solomon Bassoff and Domenica Mottarella. Their whimsical emotive sculptures have received enthusiastic acclaim and have been acquired for both public art installations and private collections. Their creative interests are sparked by nature and constantly influenced by the wildlife that surrounds their home in the Sierra foothills. They are experienced at creating artwork that celebrates the natural environment, while delighting and inspiring the viewer. They have accomplished this goal with public art installations at the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle, WA; Redding, CA; Natomas, CA; the Northwest Library in Oklahoma City; and again and most recently in Sunnyvale, California. The work illustrates their diversity of theme and skill in creating large public sculptures. In addition to large public art projects Faducci sculptures are held in high esteem in private collections across the country.

Christopher Georgesco

Visual Arts: Sculpture

Christopher Georgesco is an American sculptor. He began his career in Venice, California in 1968, where he worked until 1980. His first Show was at Newspace Gallery, Los Angeles, where he was primarily represented for more than 35 years along with exhibiting at Jan Turner Gallery in West Hollywood and Fred Hoffman Gallery in Santa Monica. He now lives on the outskirts of Palm Springs, where he maintains a Studio. His first solo show was deemed an overnight success by William Wilson, critic for The Los Angeles Times, and was picked up by L.A.’s top collectors. Wilson also cited Christopher Georgesco as “pushing the art world’s masterpiece button”. His first solo show was followed by an exhibition at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art titled L.A.8. In an article in Art News, Richard Armstrong, the former curator of the La Jolla Museum of Contemporary Art, CA, cited Christopher Georgesco as being one of the most interesting sculptors in Los Angeles

David Griggs

Architectural; Visual Arts: Other, Sculpture

I am a Public Artist based in Denver, and I’ve completed over 65 commissioned works of art throughout the U.S. My work is site-integrated, an approach that utilizes the ability of a site to compliment a work of art both in meaning and in impact. I hope to delight the viewer with physical and formal elements, but what I’m really looking for is that lucid “a ha!”, that act of recognition when truth is found in humor, when identity and meaning are found in metaphor. I graduated from the University of Colorado with a Master’s Degree in Fine Arts. For the last 35 years I have been self-employed as a Public Artist. Recent commissions include projects for Anchorage, Chicago, Dallas, Kansas City, Las Vegas, Santa Fe, Toronto, and Washington. I was a consultant for the design and integration of artwork into Denver’s Light Rail system. Other consultancy positions have included projects for Public Housing and for Public Art integration into the redevelopment of a decommissioned Air Force Base.

Nicholas Kantarelis

Performing Arts: Creative Writing, Music, Vocal; Visual Arts: Fine Art, Graphic Design, Media & Visual Communications, Mixed Media, Murals, Painting, Sculpture, Woodcraft

Nicholas Kantarelis, born in 1988, is a Greek American artist creating a diverse array of media. As a visual artist he has artworks in displayed in in museums, galleries, and public spaces all around the world. His unique creations include large free-standing sculptures, wall-hanging, and suspended installations. He crafts plush upholstered shaped canvas paintings, organic wooden sculptures, and intricate programmed light sculptures. His works vary in size from large-scale outdoor sculptures to small tabletop pieces and framed works on paper. Since 2002, he has been releasing music as a studio musician and producer, touring globally across fifteen countries with various musical artists. His studio is currently located outside of Los Angeles, in the Santa Monica mountains. It was previously in Oakham, Massachusetts.

BJ Krivanek

Visual Arts: Media & Visual Communications, Mixed Media, Other, Sculpture, Site-specific; public art, inscription

BJ Krivanek is a professor emeritus of visual communication at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, principal of Krivanek+Breaux/ Art+Design, and founding artistic director of Community Architexts. He has an MFA in Art+Design from the University of Illinois/ Urbana-Champaign and a BA in Applied Arts from Iowa State University. During the past 25+ years, he has completed over 25 public art projects throughout the country, including activated structures for the CTA Brown Line Chicago station, an interactive artwork at the University of Florida, and a commission for the Oklahoma City Municipal Courthouse. Most recently, he has completed an activated plaza for the Municipal Courts Building in Oklahoma City and has received a commission with the Lincoln Presidential Library & Museum in Springfield, IL. BJ’s work has been honored/ published in many design annuals, including the American Center for Design100 Show, American Institute of Graphic Arts, Society for Environmental Graphic Design, ID and Graphis, and included in the inaugural National Design Triennial at the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum/ New York. A feature article about his work appeared in Graphis 310/ Zurich. His work has received an NEA Federal Design Achievement Award and the Art Directors Club of New York Gold Medal as well as numerous SEGD honor/ merit awards, Illinois Arts Council fellowships, and grants from the Chicago and Los Angeles cultural affairs departments.

John Melvin

Architectural; Visual Arts: Sculpture, Site-specific

John Kenneth Melvin (MFA-SFAI), is a multi-disciplinary Eco-Artist inspiring cultural exchange via commissions and exhibitions internationally. A born & raised Bay Area native, he divides his off-project time between the USA and France, where he holds an ‘artist visa’ granted by the French government. He taught graduate level Art for 5 years and worked 10 years in the corporate world. He achieved over 20 funded ‘artist in residencies’ at institutions internationally from Cambodia to Colorado, 15 years of consecutive professional exhibitions including over 22 solo exhibitions and collaborates with both non-profits and ultra-luxury hotels, from Missouri to Maldives.

Michael Clapper Studios

Visual Arts: Sculpture

Dear Committee, I feel that public art is a way of communicating the core emotion or essence of any given place or situation. What public art can, and should be, is an engaging piece of art that educates and-or evokes an emotional response within the context of the given site. Above all, a successful piece of public art will challenge the viewer with alternative views, surprising the viewer with a fresh look into the meaning of the host site. Having completed over 35 public art projects around the US and abroad, I strive to produce bold visual gestures that evoke reactions at a glance; imagery that makes a visceral connection upon first sight. A secondary level of interest is also important to me. This may include representational imagery, text or light that the viewer discovers after approaching the work, or after a period of contemplation. Sincerely, Michael Clapper

MIDABI MIDABI

Visual Arts: Mixed Media, Murals, Sculpture, Site-specific

Early in my life I established a deep commitment to divergent acts in hopes of attaining uncommon insight into the nature of reality. I utilize the power of text and compose my findings into an artistic practice as a means of sharing information; philosophical public intervention. I come from blue and white collar artists, salesmen, engineers, veterans, and progressive cultural pioneers. I began making art and seeking knowledge at the age of 15, from which my current work is a direct extension. I do not have a formal education in art, I have a bachelor’s in media & cultural studies, and a master’s in international counseling psychology. My influences include one grandmother who was a painter of female nudes in NYC, another who founded an art school in Los Angeles and retired to Palm Springs in the 1950’s, continuing art education out of her house, and my living 90 year old godfather who founded the world’s first LGBTQ fine art museum in NYC.

Daniel Moore

Visual Arts: Other, Sculpture

A good public art story considers all the significant elements and weaves them together into artistic form. Public art creates a more humane environment; one of distinction, enjoyment, and pride for all citizens. My work comes from a deep and broad connection to nature, its beauty and power and I strive to create artwork that suggests a narrative for the viewer to complete. I believe a collaborative process is the most effective approach for creating public spaces. For me, creating public art is both a process and a philosophy. It is centered around observing, listening to, and asking questions of the people who live, work, and play in a particular space in order to understand their needs and aspirations for that space and for their community as a whole. As a skilled craftsperson with an ingrained sense of artistry, I observe a self-prescribed mandate to create excellent, extraordinary work.

Joseph O'Connell

Architectural; Visual Arts: Kinetic, New Media / Technology, Sculpture

I am the founder of Creative Machines and its artistic director. Over 27 years I have developed a staff of 30 carefully chosen artists, engineers, architects, fabricators, designers and project managers – all united by a shared vision of creativity, enthusiasm and respect. We own an amazing 8-acre facility rooted in a unique community and we create permanent art that is loved all over the world. We have created about 50 public art projects and many of these have won “Best Of…” designations.

Susana

Architectural; Visual Arts: Mosaics, Sculpture

My work is often an architectural reliquary of sorts. I am inspired by how architectural styles reflect the times and locations from which they sprung. The nostalgic yearning of an ephemeral past, memories soon lost, covered with layers of new stories, new techniques, new dreams: in fact, a completely new cast of characters. These characters are my art, retelling stories tinted in new colors, old shapes reworked into a modern version of the past. Using techniques that are at times medieval, and at times cutting edge technology and materials, I strive to create juxtaposition with my work. Currently I am creating a second mosaic garden in an underserved community. I work with at risk teens on designing and creating places of magic. Specializing in exterior grade glass and steel components: Sculptural, Decorative walls, mosaic. We also work with concrete, mosaic, resin, and stained glass

Hans van Meeuwen

Visual Arts: Installation, Sculpture

Apart from making shows in exhibition-spaces, I love to go outside and work with an external spot. I let my work play its role within, and interact with this larger environment. I enjoy considering how to relate to the people who use the space in their daily lives and routines. I love to work in a situation where people will unexpectedly come upon my intervention in their surroundings. I seek to elicit a moment of awareness in the flood of anonymity. We mostly go through life in an automatic-pilot state of mind. I would love to have the artwork see the environment with a fresh look for just a second, before going back to the automatic pilot. I would love to have my artwork given a few thoughts someone may pick up. And with that, inspire the passer-by for a moment to think outside the box of our day to day routine mindset, before she/he rushed back into life. I wish to design a work that gives a symbol to the space, to the building and/or the area.

Kelly Witmer

Architectural; Furniture; Visual Arts: Bas-relief, Fences / Gates, Fountains, Glasswork / Neons, Installation, Mixed Media, Mosaics, Murals, Painting, Sculpture, Site-specific

I work out of my Joshua Tree studio to create paintings and sculptures in ceramic, glass and steel. Public art has been an exciting field to explore, since I love working in different mediums and relish a challenge. I have worked with many interior designers and art consultants for specific installations, and enjoy collaborating towards an envisioned environment. I received my BFA from University of the Arts in Philadelphia,PA, with additional studies at Parsons School of Design in Paris. I have attended residencies at Atlantic Center for the Arts in Florida, Watershed Center for Ceramic Arts in Maine, ArtVallarta in Mexico and Can Serrat in Spain. My public art installations can be found in Los Angeles, Santa Rosa, CA and Las Vegas, NV.

Mark Yale Harris

Architectural; Visual Arts: Bas-relief, Sculpture

My artwork invokes an awakening of the sensual. Stimulating a perceptual, internal, and intellectual response for the viewer: a visual that speaks to life’s experiences. Creating symbols of universal connection underscores the relationship that one has to another and to nature. Art conveys my nonverbal view of life. An ongoing portrayal of myself, my behavior, adventure, exploration, risk taking, and non-acceptance of convention and the status quo. Life has a hard, aggressive side, as does much of my work, represented by rigid, angular lines. However, the soft side is also apparent, visible as curves and soft forms. Award-winning sculptor Mark Yale Harris works in alabaster, marble, limestone and bronze, expressing the duality in mans’ essence. Career highlights: 250+ national and international gallery and museum exhibitions (90+ solo); 120+ publications have featured his sculpture; he is represented by twenty galleries (US and UK); and has works in permanent public collections.

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