The City of Southlake's iconic shield is being created by NSG's Joe Norman. The clay was rushed off to the foundry so that a number of these shields will be ready for city buildings this Winter. The finished product will be cast Stainless Steel, and Joe's sculpted the shield in a couple sizes. 

#ArtfulLogos #MakeAStatement

Update 11/10/18: The dedication of SALUTE by Clay Enoch and the National Sculptors' Guild was powerful and we are so grateful to have been involved in honoring our Veterans with this monument. #WeSaluteYou

Update 11/3/18: ​We had to fly back to Colorado - but SALUTE is on track for completion next week, and Clay will return for the dedication of SALUTE by Clay Enoch and the National Sculptors' Guild next Saturday as part of the OrthoIndy Y Veteran's Day Celebrations. 

With all our respect and admiration to Veteran's everywhere, We Salute You!

Update 10/30/18: Clay Enoch and the National Sculptors' Guild are in Indianapolis all week to install and finish "Salute" at the OrthoIndy Foundation YMCA at Pike

Lots happened on-site for this project - the cast aluminum is attached to the wall, then foam is added to complete the figures, Clay sculpts this foam then stucco is smoothed over all but the aluminum to harmonize the sculpture and wall of the monument. Stainless Steel plaques will then be attached to the wall to house the dog tags honoring Veteran's. (Veterans’ names will be added to the sculpture with a donation of $100 at YLovesVets.org) Special thanks to all our subs, certainly a team effort on this one. 

Update 10/23/18: The aluminum castings are being chased in Loveland, CO this week, Clay is up from Colorado Springs to finish strong. We load the truck Friday.

Update 9/14/18: We just got news from Indianapolis that the walls are poured! It's coming together now.

Update 8/8/18: Clay has been hard at work sculpting the final portraits representing the five branches. two will be sculpted in the wax stage prior to casting. The objective was to create racially ambiguous male and female portraits for optimum inclusiveness of all service men and women. 

Update 7/12/18: Lots of schematics over the past year for this complex project since half will be sculpted on site involving multiple subcontractors. All of whom have been great to work with. 

Update 5/14/18: The figure portion with sculpted saluting arm has been completed, ready to mold and cast.

Update 9/18/17: Several months of designing and redesigning; working with the committee to establish several key elements including scale, depicting men/women which branch is placed where. The NSG and OrthoIndy have done our best to make this a monument every Veteran may be proud of.

“The sculpture will appeal to people of all walks of life and every generation,” said Aasif Bade, chair for the Pike Capital Campaign to build the new YMCA. “Salute will be a great place to gather and pay tribute to our veterans.”

7/5/17: We are honored to be selected for this project. Clay Enoch and the National Sculptors' Guild will be installing "Salute" at the OrthoIndy Y next year. Follow this post for updates as the project develops.

Designed with a universal approach and appeal it is our intention that people of all walks of life and every generation will be able to step into the art statement and bring their story to the piece. Whether they be a veteran and feel the strength of the collective salute, or they know a veteran and can show their reverence and gratitude for those who have served.

The design complements the architecture for continuity. Two serpentine walls fill the site forming an open ellipse. The walls graduate in height toward the center. At these highest points the silhouette of figures crest the wall drawing attention to the center area where the plaques honoring veterans are discovered next to five saluting figures. The shape of the walls creates an intimate, protected space for individuals or small groups to gather and pay tribute with quiet contemplation.

Emerging from the inner curve are five figures, each rising stoically in the line, bringing solidity and strength to the wall. Employing the figure as a stylized architectural element allows it to have universal appeal and convey strong emotion without extraneous detail.

The figures stand shoulder to shoulder, saluting each other to demonstrate the strength and camaraderie of all Veterans of the Armed Forces. Each branch is defined through the uniquely sculpted hat, depicting the Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marine Corps and Navy. We wish to work with the committee to best select the most distinctive hat for each branch so that it is an immediate and relatable image. A simple distinguishing insignia or patch may be included for further clarity. To the right of the figures are plaques engraved with the names of the Veteran's honored by the OrthoIndy Foundation.

The choice of materials has structural purpose, as well as symbolic significance, to emphasize the overall message of honoring Veteran’s services and the YMCA’s mission to help soldiers adjust to re-entering civilian life. This mission is emphasized in the change in material within the figure, from cast aluminum to modeled stucco symbolizing a veteran’s transition from service to civilian life while acknowledging that the uniform will indefinitely be a part of their life. 

​Aluminum has been a significant metal utilized within the military since WWII when the use of America’s supply of bauxite for metal production soared for aircraft frames, ship infrastructure, radar chaff and millions of mess kits. The saluting arm side of the uniform and head will be cast in aluminum. The rest of the figure emerges from an earthy material (sand being the primary makeup of stucco) to show that all service men and women are connected to the soil they protect.

Clay Enoch and the National Sculptors' Guild ​

Here is a video we just ran across by a student digesting and discussing NSG Fellow Jane DeDecker’s Harriet Tubman sculpture that we placed inLittle Rock in 2004, part of a series of sculptures that lead to the Clinton Presidential Center see more about our installation 
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Our sculpture placements continue to move and educate people. #PublicArt #FeedYourCreativeSpirit

The National Sculptors 'Guild is pleased to announce our newest Affiliate member, Joe Norman. 

Joe graduated with a degree in Product Design from Stanford and worked with design consulting firms for a number of years before teaching middle school and customizing vintage motorcycles. For the past ten years he has been a full-time sculptor, focusing on handmade and site-specific works informed by the intersection of the natural and human-made environment.

Joe was the Artist-In-Residence at Great Basin National Park and frequently speaks on art and its role in social justice. His work is in permanent public and private collections across the United States. He currently maintains his studio at Artworks Loveland.

We're excited by Joe Norman's diverse exploration of material and imaginative approach to varied subject matter. From word play, to morphing silhouettes; magnified microcosms to figurative renderings from reclaimed bicycle parts, Joe fills the public space with a bit more wonder through sophisticated form. His work  makes interaction unavoidable and we're pleased to add him to our team.

Smaller works are also available for the home collector. You'll start seeing Joe's sculpture at Columbine Gallery and in the National Sculptors' Guild sculpture garden by mid-October, and can start ordering online now.... click here to shop

National Sculptors' Guild Associate Harold Linke was selected by Peggy Fleming Jenkins to create the new Peggy Fleming Trophy for the Broadmoor Skating Club.
The award was created by the 1968 Olympic gold medalist to recognize skaters who,  like Fleming-Jenkins, excels in artistic expression and presents a performance that is a complete composition. The inaugural award of the trophy was presented in Colorado Springs at the Broadmoor World Arena on Friday June 22, 2018, to Timothy Dolensky of Atlanta. 
Harold Linke is known for simple, elegant, lyrical sculptures that capture the essence of the movement and the emotion of the moment. This trophy is in harmony with those themes and is meant to capture the evocative beauty inherent in truly artistic figure skating. Harold said, “Working with Peggy on this project has been such a joy. She has such artistry in her skating that made my sculpture a natural fit for this trophy.  I am honored to have been selected to create it, see it presented by Peggy, and to meet its first recipient.” 

2018 is the inaugural year for this new competition in which a total of 27 Junior and Senior level men and ladies competed together in presenting each skater’s ability to artistically express and present a complete composition while demonstrating technical skills. The music, creativity and overall performance were the emphasis of the event and all elements were assessed from an artistic point of view. Judging guidelines allowed creativity and expression to take center stage.

These elements were the accents of the program, not the driving force and had set base values so that competitors could focus on performance instead of the number of revolutions and/or positions.

The competition recognized an important emerging direction in figure skating which is gaining new significance. There was one unifying goal -- showcase artistry and creativity in a competitive setting. For instance, a “signature move” had been added as one of the elements. This move could be an iconic, or a new and original, move, jump or spin tailored to each skater’s style and imagination.

Peggy Fleming, a member of the Broadmoor Skating Club when she won the 1968 Olympic Gold Medal in Figure Skating, supports this direction and is privileged to have introduced the Peggy Fleming Trophy as an event in the 2018 Broadmoor Open in Colorado Springs. Peggy commissioned an original sculpture as the trophy to celebrate the event. Timothy Dolensky of the Atlanta Figure Skating Club came in first place winning a price of $3000. Camden Pulkinen of the Broadmoor Skating Club and Jordan Moeller of the Northern Ice Skating Club placed in second and third and won prizes of $2000 and $1000, respectively.
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In addition to the winners, the following is a list of skaters who participated in the 2018 inaugural event: Lily Sun, Sonja Hilmer, Emily Chan, Thomas Schwappach, Lauren Russell, Jamie Hathaway, Ben Jalovick, Ivy Liu, Courtney Hicks, Jacob DeWolfe, Morgan Sewall, Nakira Kreofsky, Maxine Marie Bautista, Haley Conrad, Danil Siianytsia, Marielle Chambers, Maryn Pierce, Nica Digerness, Julia Fennell, Alyssa Rich, Mieryla Flindley, Livvy Shilling, Andrew Torgashev and Hannah Harrell.

Update 8/18/18: Help build the Monument to Commemorate the Women's Movement and the Right to Vote, 100 years on August 18, 2020. NSG Fellow Jane DeDecker's Every Word We Utter.

DeDecker Studio is currently working on placing the monument in DC and other appropriate spaces across the nation at about 17-20 feet tall.

Once funded, this important bronze sculpture will be placed in a location(s) of national prominence to inspire future generations. Proceeds from the sales of the maquettes make the monument possible. Please contact the National Sculptors' Guild to place the 5ft maquette in your public art program.

​Make a Tax Deducible donation and #BePartOfTheCircle. 

National Sculptors' Guild Fellow, Jane DeDecker 's monument commemorates the largest nonviolent revolution in our nation’s history — the movement for women’s right to vote. Dedicated to Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Set for 2020 to mark the 100th Anniversary of the ratification of the 19th amendment, the women's right to vote. 

DeDecker elected to depict multiple figures in the monument as a reminder that it took a whole group of women to accomplish this right. Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton are shown collaborating on the 19th amendment. Ida B Wells and Alice Paul are shown paying homage to the women before them; standing on the shoulders of giants(Sojourner Truth, Harriet Stanton Blatch, Anthony and Stanton, etc).  Signatures of the group of women it took surround the monument. The immensity and scale needed to equal the magnitude of the movement. Bold and Beautiful just like those women who fought for our rights.

"Every word we utter, every act we perform... are wafted into enumerable other circles..." - Elizabeth Cady Stanton reflecting on the life of Lucretia Mott

"When we see them, we're reminded. It's important that we see these women, every day. Seeing them every day will help us to remember their goals and remember their aspirations. Sending a message to every woman that they do have a voice and they can use their voice. I hope the monument inspires young women...,  little girls." - Jane DeDecker

We are very proud of Jane and continue to be impressed by her thoughtful sculptures. She’s a winner in our minds! What an incredible design. #WomensRights  ​

Colorado State University has selected NSG Fellow Kathleen Caricof to create a sculpture honoring Alan Lamborn who retired from a 34-year career with CSU.

In designing the artwork, Caricof worked with the primary theme of the celebration of education, showing the importance of education as a foundation for the future.
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The selected design, "Onward" is a sculpted stone representing the individual whose heart remains open to learning. A carved arrow points in the direction of growth.

April 24, 2018 Update: It's happening now.... NSG's Stephen Shachtman's "Arkansas A" is being installed at it’s new home by the Southwest Community Center in Little Rock, Arkansas.
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Thanks to the City of Little Rock for the installation help, and Sculpture at the River Market for the placement.

At the heart of the three forms is a sphere representing the community. The #Steel/#Bronze portion of the “A” represents #Arkansas while the pieces of the #sandstone sphere make up its people. 

April 21, 2018 Update: NSG's Stephen Shachtman’s #ArkansasA is loaded up and heading to it’s new home in Little Rock, Arkansas. Stay tuned for pics of the installation next week.

10/25/17 Update: Fabrication is nearing completion. We will be heading to Little Rock for installation soon.

Update 4/27/18: Last night they announced our proposal of Carol Gold's Infinite Dance won this year's Sculpture at the River Market public art competition and will be placed within the year.

The decision was made by attendees of A Night in the Garden - where sculpture grows. The Marriot and Vogel-Schwartz Garden looked amazing, filled with flowers and entertainers; including the Central High School Jazz Band, living sculptures, jugglers and other performers. Truly an Artful Experience! see our pics below...

The next Sculpture at the River Market competition winner will be selected April 26th click to vote With 2 of the 3 finalists, we can't wait to see who Little Rock picks. Here are our entries...
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Carol Gold's proposal is INFINITE DANCE, Inspiration springs from notions of equilibrium and transformation, ideas that are necessary for the sustained health of society The joyfully dancing figure represents the vibrant cultural scene of the Riverfront Park. The sculpture’s ring shape ties into the curving bridges surrounding the site. The shape of a circle holds deep symbolism, referring to concepts such as: inclusion, unity, and wholeness.

Stephen Shachtman's GOLDEN becomes an interactive form as the viewer sees through the various negative space "windows" to the surrounding. Causing pause to their day to capture scenes of the city and river that they may otherwise pass-by.

Three sculptors in competition for new creation to be placed in Little Rock
By Helaine Williams, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette 04/24/18

Stephen Shachtman has come back for more... 
The Colorado artist won the 2017 Sculpture at the River Market commission competition for his piece A -- or, as he calls it, Arkansas A -- a steel and bronze sculpture that resembles the first letter of the alphabet and is being placed at the Southwest Community Center on Baseline Road in Little Rock.
Now he's back in competition with Golden, a proposed 20-foot tall, abstract sculpture, resembling a gold three-dimensional hopscotch diagram. He hopes to create it have have it placed in Riverfront Park.
He says, "There's a lot of positive and negative spaces" in Golden -- "almost looks like floating shapes in the sky. And I think without such a visual site and space, you wouldn't be able to get that."
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Shachtman is one of three sculptors who has made it to the finals in a competition resulting in a $60,000 commissioned sculpture to take its place in the western section of the park.

Guests will have the opportunity to vote on the finalists' work at A Night in the Garden Where Sculpture Grows, 6:30-9 p.m. Thursday in the Vogel Schwartz Sculpture Garden and Riverview Room of the Little Rock Marriott. The event will include heavy hors d'oeuvres and beverages; the Central High School Jazz Band will be playing, along with roving entertainers. Docents will be in the Sculpture Garden to give information about the sculptures. Partygoers will also have a chance to buy a limited number of sculptures from the three finalists.

Founded by city director Dr. Dean Kumpuris, Sculpture at the River Market is a nonprofit organization responsible for a collection of more than 90 pieces of public art, worth more than $4 million, in the Vogel Schwartz Sculpture Garden and other locations in the city. Sculpture at the River Market has held competitions for public art since 2011. Other past winners include Clay Enoch (2016) for United, installed at Central High School; Michael Warrick (2015) for Mockingbird Tree, installed at Chenal Parkway and Chenal Valley Drive; Lorri Acott (2014) for Peace, installed at Second and Main streets; and Ted Schaal (2013) for Open Window, installed in Riverfront Park.

SAFE, 3-D PUBLIC ART
Artists competing this year had to design "a visually interesting, safe, three-dimensional public art piece," according to the Sculpture in the Garden website.
The finalists -- interviewed by phone for this story -- were announced Feb. 19 via email notification. They had to prepare a presentation board of their art proposals; these boards will be on display at the party. At the end of the event, the proposal receiving the highest vote totals will be named the commission winner.
Shachtman, whose Red Monolith sculpture resides in Riverfront Park, couldn't pass up the opportunity to possibly place another piece of art there. His work, spanning two decades, has included curved textured metal -- hammered and in open mosaic patterns combined with glass -- as well as his current strong, rectangular shapes with circular pops of color.
"I know the Vogel Schwartz Garden is just getting revamped and I was really interested in placing a large scale piece in that vicinity as well," he says. His proposed piece, he feels, would be ideal. "It's bigger than the Red Monolith; it's taller and wider than the Arkansas A. And I think for the site it fits really well, especially with kind of its medium as far as large-scale abstraction."
Finalist Carol Gold, a California-based artist, has been at her craft some 50 years, running a foundry with a friend for 12 of them. She has participated in the competition for a number of years. Her sculpture Fiesta, depicting two dancing women, is at Clinton Presidential Park.
Gold's preferred medium is wax, which is then cast in bronze. Her competition piece, Infinite Dance, is a figure of a lone woman, arms outstretched, one foot raised, the other resting on an open-circle base.
It's "one of my favorite pieces," Gold says. "To me the circle implies infinity. And the woman dancing on top of the circle is just a graceful figure."

ART WITH A SMILE
Gold isn't the only finalist whose work celebrates rhythmic movement. Third finalist Giuseppe Palumbo, who works from studios in California and Colorado, has proposed Bliss and Glee, whimsical sculptures of two merry sheep, dancing on their hind legs.
"Ultimately, I'm trying to create an experience," Palumbo says. "I sculpt a lot of different pieces, but what I've found is that people want to feel positive and happy. And if I can create that for somebody in a small way, that's my objective." The initial concept for the two-figure piece is one base; if chosen, he will consider separate bases if appropriate.
Palumbo has worked in a number of mediums, "and I enjoy all of them," he says. "I particularly love clay, and the earthiness of it -- just malleable in your hands ... I can get into a nearly meditative state working with it." After he works his magic with clay, his pieces are cast in bronze.
If he wins the competition, he says, Bliss and Glee will be a modest 4-and-a-half feet tall on a 12 to 18-inch base. "Then it will be interacting more with guests on a an eye level, and then the base could be utilized as a seating area."
He adds, "There's a fine line between these animals. You want to keep them welcoming and not menacing."
Style on 04/24/2018  http://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2018/apr/24/art-with-vision-20180424/