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For immediate release Public Art Fund presents... American Idyll Six new sculptures at MetroTech Center by Jon Conner, Roman de Salvo,
Amy Gartrell, Brooklyn, NY - Public Art Fund is proud to present a new exhibition of contemporary art at MetroTech Center. "American Idyll" continues MetroTech's commitment to supporting the work of emerging artists. Each year artists are asked to respond to the Commons, the public spaces surrounding the vibrant downtown areas of MetroTech Center and Brooklyn Polytechnic. The artists in this year's exhibition - Jon Conner, Roman de Salvo, Amy Gartrell, Dave McKenzie, and Pentti Monkkonen - have each created works that observe and playfully comment upon outdoor recreation, roadside Americana, and idyllic pastimes and pleasures. JON CONNER In Disc Dogs, a second sculpture installed outside on the Commons, Conner puts a new twist on the clichéd relationship between "man and his best friend." Eschewing the straightforward depiction of a dog in the act of catching a frisbee, Conner transforms this commonplace scene into a canine action shot: The single dog becomes several different dogs, each suspended in a split-second moment of the catch. Suggesting the kinetic frenzy of a dog in motion, Disc Dogs elevates an everyday pastime into a deft display of sculptural simultaneity, drawing out a single moment into a timeless spiral of activity. DAVE MCKENZIE For his project at MetroTech Center, There's No Place Like Home, McKenzie decided to recreate an existing statue of Paul Bunyan from Rumford, Maine. Paul Bunyan, the legendary woodsman, is the heroic embodiment of the American frontier. Tall tales about his incredible feats and ingenuity - such as scooping out the Great Lakes to get water for his big blue ox, Babe - began circulating in the early 20th century. Since the 1930s, statues of Paul Bunyan have dotted the country, standing guard at the town limits or, just as frequently, at local gas stations. By inserting this iconic statue into downtown Brooklyn, McKenzie brings small town America into the heart of downtown Brooklyn, a modest attempt to bridge distances across geography and time. AMY GARTRELL Gartrell's towering Wishing Well, a stylistic departure from her other work, draws from the world of fairy tales, fables, and local theatrical productions. Meant to look like a misplaced stage prop, the painted well is adorned with climbing wisteria vines and is topped by a tin bucket that is almost impossible to reach. The distorted height of the well gives it a mischievous character, defying its audience to toss in their coins. Gartrell conceives of the Wishing Well as an optimistic challenge: At its most basic level, the sculpture is about how desires achieved require effort. According to Gartrell, "You can't just drop a penny and expect something to happen. The extra effort is what is required for the fulfillment of dreams or wishes." PENTTI MONKKONEN Monkkonen's Abstract Sculpture is a lighthearted send-up of the ubiquitous abstract metal sculptures found in courtyards and lobbies throughout the city and country. His large, painted metal sculpture serves as a perch for a flock of statuesque pigeons, lending gleeful functionality to what appears to be an example of minimalist public art of the 1960s and 1970s. This form of monumental outdoor art, once a source of civic pride, came to be criticized for its negligible relationship to site and community. Here, Monkkonen plays with aspects of amusement and illusion, making an underhanded reference to un-inspired public artwork as he creates a new work of his own. ROMAN DE SALVO Liquid Ballistic, his project at MetroTech Center, is a mahogany cannon that doubles as a seesaw and releases a gentle stream of water when activated. Manipulating the cannon's traditional function, de Salvo renders it useless as a weapon and considers alternate applications for such an outmoded relic. Calling to mind the countless cannons found on revolutionary battlegrounds along the East Coast of the United States, Liquid Ballistic's update of age-old weaponry is literally disarming. Spectators are invited to ride the cannon and enjoy themselves-not a typical response to an instrument of attack-while partaking of de Salvo's humorous and absurd work. MetroTech Center is located in Downtown Brooklyn between Jay Street and Flatbush Avenue at Myrtle Avenue. Viewing hours are dawn to dusk daily for outdoor works, Monday through Friday 8am to 6pm for Jon Conner's Perfect Day in One Metrotech. Subway: A, C, F to Jay Street/Borough Hall, exit at Myrtle Promenade; M, N, R to Lawrence Street Station. About the Public Art Fund Public Art Fund is a non-profit arts organization supported in part with public funds from The New York State Council on the Arts, a State Agency, and the City of New York Department of Cultural Affairs and through generous contributions from corporations, foundations, and individuals.
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