Thomas  Sayre  Sculpture  Project  “Across  the  Grain”  Curriculum  Guide  

Caldwell  Arts  Council  2012  

 

 

 

  D i s c u s s i o n   Q u e s t i o n s  

 

In an era when the town square is largely a thing of the past, most of our public spaces have been privatized and commercialized. They are valued and judged for their ability to provide goods and services in a timely and efficient manner. In contrast, public art creates a public arena that does not offer goods or services—a public space where one is meant to linger rather than rush, consider rather than consume. Such an arena derives its value from its ability to inspire a sense of beauty; to provide a moment of contemplation; to plant the seed of a new thought; or to grant the opportunity for a shared, leisurely, aesthetic experience with a friend—or perhaps even a stranger. Society offers us many valuable opportunities for aesthetic experiences: among them museums, film, concerts. But public art bears the distinction that it is free to the public and is therefore available to people of all means, regardless of income or social status. Public art can be representative or abstract, permanent or temporary. It can be serious or just for fun. Often, public art spaces include pathways and benches and thus encourage individuals to interact with the art itself, with the community, and with each other. Introducing students to the concept of public art—especially when they are able to witness the process of creating the art—can help instill in them a sense of social awareness and community connection.  

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“Amaryllis Architecturalis” by Vega Metals Caldwell County Sculpture Collection

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v How is “public” space different from “private” space? v How is it different to have art in public, outdoor places instead of just in museums or

people’s houses? v Why is this important? v How might art that is made to be outdoors be different from art that is made to be

indoors? v Is there public art in your community?

 

 

 

“Across the Grain,” by Thomas Sayre, is a 26-foot-tall, r ing-shaped, earth-cast sculpture to be located in a new park on the corner of Harper Avenue and Church Street in downtown Lenoir. The name of the piece refers to cutting wood across the grain—more diff icult than cut ting with the grain, but necessary in order to create a useful board. This name reminds us of Caldwell County’s t imber and furniture industries, as well as the fact that the county has gone “across the

grain” by having this project created. The sculpture and i ts setting are meant to represent Caldwel l County in a variety of ways. The sculpture’s circular shape is evocative of a wheel, which might remind a viewer of the wheels of industry that have powered our county’s industrial enterprises—foundries, sawmills, factories—and perhaps even wheels of the future, yet to be defined. In addition to industry, our county is also home to acres of rural land and miles of r ivers, and this is reflected in the design of the sculpture site: the foothil l- l ike mound, the meandering path dotted with r iver stones that wi ll weave through it , as well as the native ornamental grasses and trees that wi ll grow there. There wi ll be three benches throughout the park made of recycled

timber—another important symbol of our county’s history.

 

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T h e   S c u l p t u r e    

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“Terroir” by Thomas Sayre/Clearscapes Raleigh, NC. Private Collection

    D i s c u s s i o n   Q u e s t i o n s   v How is a sculpture different from two-dimensional art? v What do you think “Across the Grain” will look like?  v Why are there benches and a park by the sculpture? v What does the name of the sculpture mean? v What about the sculpture and the park remind you of Caldwell County? v What does the shape of the sculpture make you think of?

 

 

 

 

The  Process   Earth casting is a process that uses the earth as a mold for a sculpture.

1. The sculptor creates a smal l-scale model of his sculpture.

2. A large hole or trench shaped l ike the sculpture is dug into the earth by an earth-moving machine like a backhoe.

3. A metal “cage” made of steel rebar that wil l act as the skeletal

backbone of the sculpture is then lowered into the hole.

4. That hole in the earth, which wil l now act as the sculpture’s mold, is then fi l led with concrete.

5. After the concrete is hardened, the sculpture is raised with the help

of a backhoe and crane and is mounted atop the very same earth in which it was created.

The process of earth casting allows nature, and not just the hand of the artist, to play a role in shaping the final , usually irregular, sculpture: The pressure of the earth affects the sculpture’s shape, whi le the actual earth—dirt and stones and debris—bonds with the concrete during the curing process and becomes part of the final piece. In this way, each earth-cast sculpture is unique and intimately l inked to the land where it was created and upon which it is displayed. The entire process of bui lding “Across the Grain” wi ll be streamed live via a webcam onto the Caldwell Arts Council’s websi te. In this way, classrooms wil l be able to view and monitor the creat ion of the sculpture each step of the way: the breaking of the ground, the pouring of the concrete, and the final raising of the piece.

“Gyre” by Thomas Sayre/Clearscapes Raleigh, NC. North Carolina Museum of Art

 

 

 

 

The  Artist   Thomas Sayre is original ly from Washington, DC, where he grew up admiring the archi tecture and stonework of the National Cathedral. Sayre has lived in North Carol ina s ince 1977, where his work has focused largely on art in the public arena and urban renewal and revitalization. He has

produced publ ic art projects al l over the world—including places like Hong Kong; Turkey; Nashvil le, TN; Atlanta, GA; and Raleigh, NC. Sayre has been earth casting s ince 1997, and is very interested in the process’ serendipitous interplay between the human-made and nature, as

wel l as the artist’s partial loss of control over the appearance of the final piece.

 

National Cathedral Washington, DC Photo by Susan Buck, publicdomainpictures.net

    D i s c u s s i o n   Q u e s t i o n s :  

v Why would living near the National Cathedral have influenced Thomas Sayre? In what ways do you think it did?

v Do you live near a building or a house that you like?

v What makes each earth-cast sculpture unique?

v What is special about the fact that the molds in the earth help shape an earth-

cast sculpture?

v What is special about the fact that dirt and pebbles stick to the outside of an earth-cast sculpture?

v What is special about the size of “Across the Grain”?

v Look at the “Across the Grain” logo (on the cover of this study guide). Why are

cities listed there? What is special about having Lenoir listed there?

 

 

 

 

Did you know that Caldwell County has the largest col lection of permanent outdoor sculpture of any community of its size in the United States? Beginning in the mid-1980s, Caldwell County began holding its Annual Sculpture Celebration and collecting public art for our county. The Sculpture Celebration continues today and the county currently owns 77 sculptures of all different shapes, sizes, and materials! Twenty of these sculptures are located in downtown Lenoir and can be seen on a walking tour that can be found on the Caldwell Arts Council website: www.caldwellarts.com. This sculpture collection helps creates a sense of uniqueness in our county. “Across the Grain,” with its pathways and benches, wil l serve as a focal point for the walking tour of the rest of the downtown collection—a place where people can meet, contemplate, or walk. Such a focal point can help foster a positive local identity and strong community interaction.

 

v How will “Across the Grain” add to Caldwell County’s sculpture collection? v Have you been to the annual Sculpture Celebration? v What is your favorite piece in the Caldwell County sculpture collection?  

From left to right: “Daedalus” by

Scott Strader, “Pig” by Glen Gardner,

“In Other Words Fly” by Gretchen

Lothrop, Three Graces” by Robert

Jarrel

  D i s c u s s i o n   Q u e s t i o n s :  

 

 

 

 

v Design your own piece of outdoor art. What would you make it out of?

Would it be just to look at? Would it be interactive? Where would it be?    v Pick one of the sculptures in Caldwell County’s sculpture collection and use

it as the centerpiece of a short story. v Draw one of the sculptures from observation. v Pretend a certain sculpture came to life. What would its personality be?

What would happen? Write a short story about it coming to life. v Look at other public art pieces around the world and answer these

questions: 1. Is this piece representative (does it look like something real) or is

it abstract? 2. What materials is it made from? 3. Is this piece interactive or is it just meant to be looked at? 4. Is this piece temporary or permanent? 5. Do you like this piece–why or why not? Would you like to see it in

person? 6. Is the place this piece is located relevant to the piece?

a. Does the piece have something to do with the history of the city it is in?

b. Does it have something to do with the building it is in front of?

c. Does it have something to do with its surroundings?

v Some interesting public art pieces you can look up on the Internet: • “Anna Livia” (Dublin, Ireland) by Eamonn O’Doherty • “Art-Eggcident” (Leeuwarden, The Netherlands) by Henk Hofstra • “Cloud Gate” (Chicago, IL) by Anish Kapoor • “Doc Watson—Just One of the People” (Boone, NC) by Alex Hallmark • “Gold Rush” (Sacramento, CA) by Tom Otterness • “I See What you Mean” (Denver, CO) by Lawrence Argent • “Knotted Gun” (New York, NY) by Carl Fredrik Reutersward

 

 

 

 

For more information: Caldwell Arts Council 601 College Avenue Lenoir, NC 28645

828.754.2486 www.caldwellarts.com www.thomassayre.com www.clearscapes.com