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Indepth Arts News:
"Concrete Ideas"
2002-05-20 until 2003-04-20
John Michael Kohler Arts Center
Sheboygan, WI,
USA United States of America
While concrete may be considered by many to be a A "low-brow" material, it is for this very reason
that so much great art has been made with it. In contrast to classic fine art materials such as
marble and bronze, concrete is widely available, affordable, durable, and relatively forgiving as a
medium. Its lack of preciousness has allowed countless makers to let their imaginations run wild,
and there is evidence of the material's magnificent potential in the hands of artists and creative
thinkers worldwide.
Many artists who have discovered the delights of concrete have created entire
sculpture-environments outdoorsCfrom Nek Chand's Rock Garden of Chandigarh in India to Fred
Smith's Wisconsin Concrete Park in Phillips, Wisconsin. Many of the outdoor sculptures have
deteriorated over time, but others have been preserved in sites by ardent admirers of this
vernacular work, and still other pieces have come under the care of indoor museum collections,
such as that of JMKAC.
CONCRETE IDEAS presents sculptures in concrete that are a part of the Arts Center's permanent
collection of works by self-taught and folk artists. Among them are works by Carl Peterson
(1869-1969) of St. James, Minnesota (the Arts Center=s most recent addition to the collection);
Eugene Von Bruenchenhein (1910-1983) of Milwaukee; Nick Engelbert (1881-1962) of
Hollandale, Wisconsin; Fred Smith (1886-1976) of Phillips, Wisconsin; Mary Nohl (1914-2001) of
Fox Point, Wisconsin; James Tellen (c. 1880-1957) of Sheboygan; and Nek Chand of Chandigarh,
India. In addition photographs of the original environments will be included.
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