These are the works commissioned for the Milwaukee Bucks Art Collection for the new Fiserv Forum, Bucks arena curated by Sports And The Arts.
I am honored to be one of the 32 artists chosen to be a part of this collection.
THE STORY
I’ve recently been working on “Lighter Than MKE,” a series of lighter-than-air concepts featuring bits and pieces of Milwaukee brands, city and landscape, and architecture from vintage to modern day. I deconstruct these elements as well as machines and engines and reconstruct them into new yet familiar structures that appear as if they are floating or could function. Typically floating over maps or cityscapes of Milwaukee new and old allowing these pieces to transcend time and space.
Essentially that concept is what inspired my work for the Milwaukee Buck’s collection. I wanted to celebrate the rich industrious history in this city that made way for such things as this arena. I took the same deconstructed approach and applied it to the basketball court design. With a love for basketball myself, I’ve spent many hours on the basketball court, the majority of which are in the paint so it seemed an obvious choice to use that area of the court. With different physical layers that hint at the history under the court and gears and chains and mechanisms, frozen, as if these pieces are a snapshot of the court coming together. I have a fascination with machines and how things work and I want this work to look like they were evolving and constructing themselves at one point, that they could function at any moment with the turn of a key.
“In the Paint”
This piece brings both the brewing and manufacturing concepts together inside the basketball court design. You will see the mash ton kettle for brewing running horizontally making up one of the keys of the court. The other key has been transformed into an engine complete with an exhaust system. This is definitely the first time I’ve worked with actual mufflers, these being actual Harley Davidson as well. Each of these works are complex and incorporate many elements, however, this piece has the most arcing circular sections of hand bent steel. It is no small task to bend steel into a specific shape. Each day I worked on these pieces I would wake up the next morning sore in a new way. Whilst in the midst of welding these sections in place I realized I was going to need more gauges and reflectors. Taking a weekend away with my family I found myself at a flea market where I found exactly what I needed, the reflectors were still in their Harley Davidson packaging. There’s also an interesting dynamic happening when you’re haggling and you mention that you’re an artist looking for things, people tend to give you a much better deal. For example a box of 70 large bolts was fine dollars when anyone else would have been charged by the bolt.
DESIGN/BUILD
sketches
gathering found objects like gauges, chains, motorcycle parts etc.
sample frame for approval
CNC baker panel for other pieces to fasten to
soo many hand bent arches
applying finishes and faux finishes