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Sculpture Art Commissioned for Central Library Entrance

Library News & Announcements RSS Feed March 18, 2008

A contemporary artist with Midwestern ties has been commissioned to create sculptures for the pedestals flanking the transformed Central Library's south entrance to the historic Cret Building downtown on E. St. Clair Street.

Peter Shelton's work, thinmanlittlebird, will be installed this fall. Funding for the project is private, donated by Ann and Chris Stack and the Indianapolis-Marion County Public Library Foundation.

A committee, chaired by Bret Waller, director emeritus of the Indianapolis Museum of Art, recommended Shelton to create bronze sculptures for the pedestals which have been vacant since the building opened in 1917. "We are excited to finish the project that was contemplated so many years ago but was unrealized when the original building was built due to a financial shortfall," Waller said.

Waller's committee also included Kathy Nagler, Indianapolis Museum of Contemporary Art, David Russick, Indianapolis Museum of Art, Joyce Sommers, Indianapolis Art Center, John Thompson, former board chair for IMA, and leaders in the art community Ann Stack and Deborah Simon.

Shelton, an internationally recognized American artist with installations around the world, was unanimously selected by the committee which reviewed the works of 60 artists from around the world.

His work will feature a towering figure cast in bronze more than 30 feet tall. Called thinman, it will sit on the west pedestal (closest to Meridian Street). The east pedestal, closest to Pennsylvania Street, will be occupied by littlebird. This sculpture is a torus, a geometric form generated when a circle is rotated around a vertical axis. The artist will cast a small bird to perch on top of the torus.

Shelton's work is being highlighted by several Indianapolis-area arts organizations this spring. At the Herron Gallery, the exhibition godspipes and other major projects is featured. As part of the Indianapolis Art Center's mission of advocating and partnering with public art initiatives, the Center has recently installed Shelton's enormous cast iron sculpture, irondress, 1990-2000, at its main entrance for a one-year duration. The Indianapolis Museum of Contemporary Art will feature several of Shelton's drawings in early April.