 Spot on match to the agreed upon sample. Update 6/12/2024: Joe has been applying color to Monarch Girl the last few weeks. Since only part of the sculpture is painted to create a contrast with the stainless steel, a thorough masking of the leaping girl elements happens first, then undercoating, then a series of coats in various hues to create a rich finish on the butterfly parts. The variation of oranges, from bright yellow-oranges to darker red-oranges, will enhance the depth of elements, particularly in the natural site. Once this cures, a series of clear-coat layers are applied, and we're really close to getting Monarch Girl installed. Update 6/7/2024: We dropped off the template and checked out the stone this morning, and look how much nature is loving this sculpture - two butterfly visited us while we reviewed the installation checklist.
Update 5/27/2024: The sculpture is coming along! Assembly and welding is almost done. What a treat to get to see a sculpture unfold. We can't wait to share the color phase!
Update 5/8/2024: We're in the cocoon phase on this project, and getting excited to see what emerges. The components are cut and artist Joe Norman is preparing them for welding (grinding the edges smooth, cleaning the surfaces and giving them texture to help the paint adhere, etc) 1/17/2024: Joe Norman and the National Sculptors' Guild were selected by the City of Gladstone, Missouri to place a sculpture in their Oak Grove Park. We are excited to bring a bright sculpture to this vibrant spot where the city's Theatre in the Park is annually held. The sculpture will be placed just before the first show of the summer. The sculpture we proposed is Monarch Girl, which depicts a girl jumping from one direction and a Monarch Butterfly from the other. Combining the natural beauty of Oak Grove Park with the activities that the park provides makes the sculpture "Monarch Girl" ideal for this site. A child gleefully leaps into action from one point of view while a colorful monarch butterfly in flight appears from another angle. One's change in perspective makes the imagery more or less clear, abstract in-between. The interactive quality of this piece will make it of interest to those who see it regularly as much as it will for someone who encounters it once.
Fabricated from stainless-steel with two sides painted in a vibrant epoxy paint, a natural sandstone base will make the overall scale 8ft x 5.5ft x 5ft.
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 National Sculptors' Guild Fellow Gary Alsum is in Poplar Bluff, Missouri to install and dedicate the the Gene Bess portrait at Three Rivers College. Special thanks to the school for lending a hand, and creating a beautiful inscribed base for the bronze. You can find the sculpture on the entry plaza of the Libla Family Sports Center. The bronze depicts the coach with basketball in hand wearing his familiar suit and tie. We are very proud to be part of honoring Coach Bess and hope the presence of the sculpture at Three Rivers College brings continued good fortune to the basketball team's success. Coach Bess won a record 1,300 wins in 50 seasons as Three Rivers head coach while teaching two classes a semester, and serving as the Three Rivers Athletic Director throughout his career. At least 42 former players for Bess have gone on to coach all over the country. He became college basketball’s all-time wins leader in 2001 when he surpassed North Carolina’s Dean Smith and Richard Baldwin of Broome Community College. He was the first college basketball coach to reach 1,000 wins in 2006, the first with 1,100 wins four seasons later, and 1,200 in 2015. His 1,300th win came in what ended up being his final home game on a court named in his honor. Coach Bess finished with a career record of 1,300-416, won national championships in 1979 and 1992, coached in four national title games, appeared in 17 national tournaments, won 23 region championships, and is a member of four halls of fame. NSG Public Art Placement #544
Thank you TRC's Rob, Guy, Adam and Shawn. You made installation in freezing temps a breeze.  Update 5/1/2022: Sculptor, Gary Alsum next to the freshly sculpted Gene Bess clay enlargement. Now that it is complete. its way to mold and the casting process. Update 4/15/22: The portrait has been refined in clay and approved by the client. Update 4/5/22: The stone base with engraving layout is complete, and ordered.  Update 11/15/21: Gary has created a maquette for the monument, getting an idea of what is to be expected.
 Gene Bess to be sculpted by Gary Alsum for Three Rivers College 10/1/21: National Sculptors' Guild Fellow Gary Alsum has been selected to sculpt Gene Bess for placement at Three Rivers College in Poplar Bluff, Missouri. The school has been hard at work raising funds for this commemorative sculpture.
The bronze will be a life-sized standing figure depicting the coach with basketball in hand wearing his familiar suit and tie. The sculpture will be located on the entry plaza of the Libla Family Sports Center in 2022. The former coach of the men's basketball team at Three Rivers Community College was hired in 1971. Coach Bess won a record 1,300 wins in 50 seasons as Three Rivers head coach while teaching two classes a semester, and serving as the Three Rivers Athletic Director throughout his career. At least 42 former players for Bess have gone on to coach all over the country. He became college basketball’s all-time wins leader in 2001 when he surpassed North Carolina’s Dean Smith and Richard Baldwin of Broome Community College. He was the first college basketball coach to reach 1,000 wins in 2006, the first with 1,100 wins four seasons later, and 1,200 in 2015. His 1,300th win came in what ended up being his final home game on a court named in his honor. Coach Bess finished with a career record of 1,300-416, won national championships in 1979 and 1992, coached in four national title games, appeared in 17 national tournaments, won 23 region championships, and is a member of four halls of fame. “He brought notoriety, he brought fame, he brought championships, but that’s not the important thing that he brought to our school,” Three Rivers President Dr. Wesley Payne said. “He brought honor. He brought a dedication that was an example to everyone that works there or walked through the doors as a student. He brought courage, he brought direction, he brought an example that was worthy to follow.” The National Sculptors’ Guild installed 18 public art placements in 2020, truly a triumph for the challenges we all faced in the year. We are excited to have several new projects set to install in 2021 that we will be sharing in the near future.
Our 2020 public art placements are... (click titles to learn more) My Heart is in Your Hands, Jane DeDecker, Downey, CA Homeward/Monarch, Joe Norman, Downey, CA Mock Orange, Michael Warrick, Whittier, CA Time, Carol Gold, Bend, OR Between the Lines, Jane DeDecker, Loveland, CO Leaps and Bounds, Daniel Glanz, Brighton, CO Sweet Dreams & Grassland Trio, Daniel Glanz, Brighton, CO Mockingbird Tree, Michael Warrick, Southlake, TX On a Roll, Jack Hill, Downey, CA From a Different Perspective, Jane DeDecker, Downey, CA Infinite Dance, Carol Gold, Downey, CA Tree of Life, Clay Enoch, Downey, CA Burro Trio, Jane DeDecker, Southlake, TX Bamboo, Tim Cotterill (The Frogman), Joplin, MO Keeping the Ball Rolling, Jane DeDecker, Edmond, OK On a Roll, Jack Hill, Edmond, OK Rev. Pond, Denny Haskew, Shakopee, MN Tried and True, Gary Alsum, Edmond, OK We've now placed 530 public art monuments since 1992! Special thanks to all the people that helped make these placements happen, from fabrication to transport and installation, everyone pulled together in a time we had to stay apart.
#SculptureIsATeamSport #PublicArt #California #Texas #Missouri #Oklahoma #Minnesota #Oregon #Colorado #InstaArt #InstaGood #InstaLove #NSG #NationalSculptorsGuild #ArtistDriven #ClientMinded  John is headed to Saint Louis to Jury the 2019 Saint Louis Art Fair. Luckily DIA was clear for travel after yesterday's Spring Blizzard. We're honored by the invite; everyone involved has been terrific to work with.
Stay tuned for his take on the artists that will show this year, and save the date to go see for yourself.... September 6-9, 2019 in the heart of Clayton, MO. It looks like a terrific place to enjoy the Arts this Fall and hopefully find a piece to take home with you. |
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JK Design/NSGJK Designs’ Principal, John Kinkade, founded the National Sculptors’ Guild in 1992 with a handful of sculptors who wished to find thoughtful public applications for their work. Representation has since grown to over 20 contracted sculptors and painters; plus an extended network of 200+ artists that our design team works with on a regular basis to meet each project's unique needs. click here for a list of our over 500 large-scale placements. Archives
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