ORNAMENT IS
Exhibition 15 Sept 2023 – 03 November 2023
Bridgeport Art Center
Steven Wierzbowski and I have been talking about architecture and ornament since grad school. Forty years later Steve has co-curated a show with Josh Mings called “Ornament Is”. We are pleased to be part of the group. 100 years ago Adolph Loos called the ornamentation of architecture a criminal act. Our grad school dean, Thomas H. Beeby, described Frank Lloyd Wright’s buildings as 3-D ornaments, and the mullions of Mies van der Rohe’s North Lake Shore Drive buildings as conceptual ornaments. (Some modernists didn’t like that.) Frank Gehry calls his work walk-in sculptures. That makes Richard Serra really mad. “Ornament Is” is a museum-scaled exhibition exploring contemporary ornamental theory through drawings, paintings, photographs, models, sculptures and artifacts by over 30 Chicago multi-disciplinary artists, designers and architects. In addition to the opening there will gallery talks, lectures and a PechaKucha Even in October during the architecture .
The show will be open until November 3rd.
EPISTROPY (Yiny6’n’9)
Mounted in the upper floor public space lounge overlooking the interior donut hole. Sculptures hand carved in reinforced plaster. Cast in cast in glass and non-combustible resin. Made in Chicago.
NECTAR OF THE EAST (stool)
Hand carved barstools composed of cast recycled aluminum-magnesium alloy, and castings of glass, Kevlar and non-combustible resin. Made in Chicago. Originally created 2000-2001 for Nectar at Bellagio Resort Hotel, Las Vegas and modified for East hotel 2003 -2004.
CANTERING EAST Lounge Chair
Wood hand carvings were cast in recycled magnesium-aluminum alloy, hand polished, and then patinated by rubbing the castings with elixirs. Upholstered in wool flannel. Made in Chicago. An extrapolation of the original 2002- 2003 Canter’s Lounge Chair.
ANNA MAE Pendant
Originally created for Anna Mae, a Japanese-American fusion restaurant at the Beau Rivage Resort Hotel in Biloxi Mississippi in 2002 and a heartbreaker in a Mississippi Muddy Waters song and the homonym “Anime”. Inspired by a Japanese cowbell from the eighteenth century.
Hand carved maple sculptures cast in 92% recycled magnesium-aluminum alloy, hand polished, bronze leaf, hand thrown ceramic medallion. Made in Chicago
NECTAR OF THE EAST (chair)
Hand carved and cast in glass, Kevlar and non-combustible resin for East Hotel and deployed at the elevator lobby on the Mandarin floor. An extrapolation of high seating created for Nectar at Bellagio Resort Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada in 2001 for East Hotel. Made in Chicago.
GOOSEGūß ("goose-goose") Table
“Cast metal” in German is “Guss Metal”. The foundry hotel is near the old Goose Market. The gooseneck form of the cast ("guss") mirror was hand carved maple, then cast in 92% recycled magnesium-aluminum alloy, hand-polished. Made in Chicago
EAST CREDENZA
Composed of granite and glass and Kevlar Reinforced, Integrally Colored, Non Combustible translucent resin. Made in Chicago. Designed and built in Chicago in 2003-2004 for East Hotel, Hamburg.
HAMBURG ON THE HUDSON MIRROR
An accelerated extrapolation of copper donut mirrors created for Cypress Club in San Francisco in 1991-92 created for opening of the Hudson Club in Chicago in 1996. Hudson featured flights of wine in a hangar-like structure. The design was modified for East Hotel and it’s Reeperbahn sister restaurant, Herzblut in Hamburg. Mirrored glass set in a casting is composed of aluminum, glass, and non-combustible resin. Made in Chicago.
TWIGGY Yiny6’n’9
Carved maple sculptures cast in 92% recycled aluminum-magnesium alloy, hand polished and bathed in elixirs and flames to patina the surface. Mounted on hand-carved reclaimed African Ironwood. Sourced and made in Chicago. Sculptures created for Nick’s, a restaurant in Las Vegas, Nevada, in 1998. This composition was created for Ornament Is in 2023.
THREE DIMENSIONAL SKETCHES: WALL STUDY; COLUMN STUDY; BALCONY STUDY; CHAIR STUDY; BOWL STUDY Reinforced plaster, cheese cloth
THREE DIMENSIONAL SKETCHES: WALL STUDY; COLUMN STUDY; BALCONY STUDY; CHAIR STUDY; BOWL STUDY Reinforced plaster, cheese cloth
BUDDHA HAIR (Sculpture)
Carved in maple, cast in glass and non-combustible resin, hand painted. Made in Chicago …Circa 2002
THREE DIMENSIONAL SKETCHES: WALL STUDY; COLUMN STUDY; BALCONY STUDY; CHAIR STUDY; BOWL STUDY Reinforced plaster, cheese cloth
ELIZA’S LITTLE DARK QUESTION (lamp)
Inspired by the curious artist’s daughter’s endless questions. Wooden sculptures were cast in 92% recycled magnesium-aluminum, hand polished and rubbed with elixirs to patina. Made in Chicago.
This is a 2002 variation on designs originally created in 1992-1993 for a Chicago residence, a Frankfurt Restaurant and a restaurant in Matsuyama. This version created in2002 for Herzblut, a in Hamburg, Germany, also owned by the operators of East Hotel. Made in Chicago.
ELIZA’S BIG BURNISHED QUESTION (lamp)
A table lamp named for the endless questions of the artist’s eldest daughter. Wood carvings were cast in 92% recycled cast aluminum-magnesium alloy and hand polished.
This lamp was created in 1992 – 1993 for a Chicagoland residence and has been placed in a variety of projects. Variations of this lamp were created for projects in Japan and Germany.
Made in Chicago.
ANNA MAE (Candlesticks)
Created for East Hotel in 2003 as variations on 2001 sculptures made for Anna Mae, Japanese-American fusion in Biloxi, Mississippi and named for the heart breaker in a Mississippi Muddy Waters song and the Japanese homonym “anime” and inspired by the form of corkscrew willows which symbolize feminine chi in Japanese gardens.
These candlesticks were made by carving maple and then casting the forms in recycled red bronze, polishing them and bathing them in flames and elixirs for patina. Made in Chicago.
YINY6’N’9 (HUGGING HEARTS)
What would yin and yang look like in 3 dimensions? A western perspective. Maple sculptures cast in recycled red bronze and recycled white bronze, mounted on reclaimed red African Ironwood.
KIMPTON’S ANTLERS (wine display)
Hand carved, reclaimed red African Ironwood and 92% recycled cast aluminum-magnesium alloy, hand polished. Made in Chicago.The antlers forms were hand carved in maple and cast in recycled magnesium aluminum alloy and then hand polished. These were used for the wine cellar display at east. The metal sculpture was originally created in 1997 for a Bill Kimpton hotel. The base is composed of reclaimed red West African Ironwood brought to Chicago 90 years ago. The wood was hand-carved, sanded and oiled in 2019. Made in Chicago.
ANDY CAPP GOES EAST
Hand-carved wood sculptures cast in 92% recycled magnesium-aluminum alloy, hand polished . Made in Chicago. A 2007 variation on a sculpture for Canter’s in Las Vegas in 2002 .
GOOSEGūß ("goose-goose") Mirror
“Cast metal” in German is “Guss Metal”. The foundry hotel is near the old Goose Market. The gooseneck form of the cast ("guss") mirror was hand carved maple, cast in 92% recycled magnesium-aluminum alloy, hand-polished. Made in Chicago
MILK AND HONEY BOMB
Composed with Milk and Honey hand-blown glass and Bombshell fixtures from East Hotel. The Old Testament passage in Isiah about hammering swords into plowshares and spears into pruning hooks inspired the tables. This piece is composed of copper-coated steel, spun on forms used to make WW2 bombshells; hand blown glass; steel pipe; milk Lexan. East Hotel featured a 20’ long Milk and Honey chandelier created from wet plaster, lathe, handblown glass and milk Lexan in the entry lobby bar. JMA developed the milk and honey chandeliers in 2002. Bombshell tables are located at the elevator lobby The tables were created in 2002-2003.
EAST PENDANT
Hand Carved in Wisconsin Maple, Cast in 92% recycled aluminum-magnesium alloy, hand polished, bathed in elixirs, flames for a patina, waxed. Hand thrown ceramic medallion. Steel pipe, curly cord. Made in Chicago.
This piece is a 2004 variation of a sculpture created for Canter's Restaurant in Las Vegas in 2002.
EAST DINING CHAIR, LOUNGING
Hand carved, then molded and cast in integrally colored, non-combustible, glass and Kevlar reinforced chocolate resin. The integral coloring allows the piece to develop a patina, like a maple floor or exposed metals. Made in Chicago.
Ergonomically, these chairs accommodate two postures; they support upright dining and, by turning 90 degrees, after-dinner lounging. Made in Chicago.
“Sara sits on a 3-Legged Goose” (East Stool) “Guss Metal”, pronounced “goose metahl” in English, means “cast metal” in German. The stool is named for the homonym “goose” and the JMA partner Jeff Carloss’s daughter Sara. The forms were carved in Wisconsin maple, cast in cast recycled aluminum-magnesium alloy, welded, and upholstered in wool mohair. Made in Chicago.
MUSASHI TABLE
Named for the Japanese poet/philosopher/artist/warrior Miyamoto Musashi. The cast bases were carved in maple and cast in 93% recycled magnesium-aluminum alloy. They were then hand polished and rubbed with elixirs to patina the fresh metal, which was then waxed and used as bases for standing lamps and tables at East Hotel in 2003-4. These variations are from a lounge created for Sotheby's New York in 2016.
Their tops are hand-carved 4.5”-thick, spalted Sycamore from an old growth private forest in Michigan. Dried in a solar kiln. Hand rubbed natural oil finish. Made in Chicago.
CHLOE’S WATER BALLOON TABLES
Cast in recycled red bronze from steel reinforced sculptures, hand polished, bathed in elixirs and flames to patina .Made in Chicago.
In 2003, while we were working on East, I made the mistake of allowing myself to be beguiled by the form of a water balloon I was filling at the spigot after a picnic lunch at my cousin’s house. Chloe landed an ice-cold water balloon in my good right ear. The experience burned the image of my hand gripping the water balloon in my mind. I sculpted five variations for bronze the next week, and later larger variations for resin castings. Made in Chicago.
CANTERING VESSELS
Cold cast copper / glass and non-combustible resin with copper. Made in Chicago.
2004 Variations on sculptures created for Canter’s at TI in Las Vegas, Nevada in 2002.
CASTING GRAIN SCULPTURES
Sculptures Inspired by metal the metal grains used at foundries, composed of glass, non-combustible resin, copper. Made in Chicago.
2004 variations on sculptures created for Canter’s Deli at TI in Las Vegas, Nevada in 2002
