2017 A.R.T. Artist Bill Lieb Juried into the Sculpt Siouxland Exhibition in Sioux City!

"Bird #4" - kinetic sculpture ©Bill Lieb

Bill Lieb, long-time Artisan Road Trip artist, recently had one of his public sculpture pieces juried into the Sculpt Siouxland exhibition in Sioux City. The exhibit is sponsored by an organization of community leaders in partnership with the Sioux City Art Center. The sculpture was installed June 8, 2017 at the corner of 4th Avenue and Pierce Street, about one block northwest of the Sioux City Art Center (shown in the distant background),  and will remain in place there for one year. 

The 10.5 foot tall abstract sculpture is titled "Bird #4" and is part of a series of five large public sculptures fabricated by the artist in the past two years. The triangular base is weathering steel, the two wing features above the base are stainless steel and the top spinner is aluminum. The piece is kinetic and is activated by the breeze to present curious bewildering movements to engage the viewer in playful conversation.

This is the sixth sculpture entered by Bill Lieb and accepted into the Sculpt Siouxland yearly exhibition over the exhibits thirteen year history. The building at the right is the Great Southern Bank.

See more of Lieb's work at his web site -  williamliebsculpture.com  and on the 2017 Artisans Road Trip web site at - http://www.artisansroadtrip.com/

Thank you for visiting our blog for the 2017 Artisans Road Trip - be sure and stop back again soon!

 

2011 Artisans Road Trip Artist - Bill Lieb

Out Artisans Road Trip artist spot light this week is on Spirit Lake sculptor Bill Lieb. Bill discusses his latest public art project -

"I am in the process of constructing another public sculpture. This one is for installation on 4th Street in downtown Sioux City as part of the "Sculpt Siouxland" program, a juried event designed to promote sculpture and downtown Sioux City.  The finished sculpture will be installed May 14 and will be on display there for one year. This is the fourth year I have had a sculpture accepted into this exciting program.

 

The sculpture is an eight foot tall abstract penguin balancing a spinning beach ball on it's nose.  What is a penguin balancing a spinning beach ball on it's nose doing on 4^{th Street} in Sioux City? Good question! It seems there is a new cloud hanging over our lives today. Do you feel it too? It is the realization that everything on our globe is interconnected to everything else and the whole mess is in a very delicate balance. Change in any one area can force changes in other areas. What happens in the Antarctic or in the Amazon or in Greenland can impact change right here in Iowa. And what we do here can effect what happens there. What is the appropriate behavior for us? How should we relate to our environment in a responsible, sustainable way? These are questions raised by the sculpture titled “Do We Care, We Do Care”.  The represents a metaphor for nature and our response to nature.

On the horizontal surface of one of the penguin's wings are the letters of three words cut through the aluminum. Because of the way the words are positioned and viewed, the message is not discernible.  But as the sunlight passes through the cut-out letters and falls on the sidewalk, the words revealed there appear as a bright sunspot message in the shadow of the sculpture. The message "Do We Care" is arranged in a confusing way and can also be read as "We Do Care". The interpretation is up to the viewer.

Short video of the finished piece!

The beach ball is constructed of curved fins that allow the breeze to spin it around its vertical axis. This movement will compel the passerby to interact with the sculpture and, hopefully, walk away with a more enlightened view of the world.

The images I have included are of a model of the sculpture. Construction of the final sculpture is mostly complete now except for final welding and painting of the beach ball, and grinding a finish on the penguin's body." 

That will be fum to see when it's complete Bill!  

Join us again for another artist spotlight on the 2011 Artisans Road Trip!