If artist Alice Aycock has her way, one look at her work "Maelstrom" is not enough.
"I want to make it interesting from many angles. You have to come back to look at it," she says by phone from her studio in New York City.
FAQ
Spotlight Conversation:
Alice Aycock
WHEN — 8 p.m. Thursday
WHERE — Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville
COST — Free, but registration is required
INFO — 657-2335 or crystalbridges.org
"Maelstrom" was recently installed on the grounds of the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville. It rests along the path from the auxiliary parking lot that leads toward the museum's east entrance. Aycock, a highly collected and much-discussed sculptor, visited Crystal Bridges to make sure the piece was oriented properly. She returns to Bentonville this week for a chat on Thursday night at the museum. The event is free to the public, but registration is required.
Of course, another element attracting attention in the direction of "Maelstrom" is the sheer size of it. The piece features 67 feet of circular elements of metal spinning upwards. And "Maelstrom" is only part of a larger project. The piece exists as an element of a series by Aycock called "Park Avenue Paper Chase" installed in the median of Park Avenue in New York. "Maelstrom" originally sat in the median near the Seagram Building, home of the legendary Four Seasons restaurant.
Like all of the works contained in the "Park Avenue Paper Chase" project, "Maelstrom" finds inspiration in the idea a wind has suddenly lifted forms. All of the elements in the "Park Avenue" project can be stand-alone pieces, Aycock says.
Aycock says she will attempt to add background and clarity to her work while speaking Thursday night at the museum.
-- Kevin Kinder
NAN What's Up on 05/15/2015