DEARBORN, Michigan – Twelve sculptures have been placed throughout Dearborn as part of the community’s 2012-2013 Art in Public Places – Midwest Sculpture Initiative (MSI). Funding for the project is provided by the Dearborn Community Fund and the East and West Dearborn Downtown Development Authorities. Each month a different sculpture and sculptor are highlighted.
Gaze by James Oleson, Jr., Dearborn Community Fund 2012 – Photo credit: Teresa Lousias
“Gaze” by Florida-based sculptor James Oleson, Jr. is the featured sculpture for February. Located on the south lawn at the Ford Community and Performing Arts Center, “Gaze,” a life-size figure of a horse, is constructed entirely from materials that many would consider useless or broken. Visitors to the sculpture are amazed at the artist’s creative use for these materials and how he incorporated them to create a sculpture that is both artistic and innovative.
Oleson believes that discarded materials present endless possibilities and spends time searching through landfills, rubble from demolished structures, junk yards and other areas that have the potential to yield an unending supply of materials for use in his work. “Gaze” is priced at $15,000.
Oleson resides in Brooksville, Fla., and most of his exhibition experience has been centered in that state. In addition to his participation in the Michigan Sculpture Initiative, his work was recently accepted in the Loveland Sculpture Invitational in Loveland, Colorado. Among his many awards are: First place sculpture, Port Orange (Fla.) Artfest; Beaux Arts Award of Excellence, Coral Gables (Fla.) and Black and White Show Award of Excellence in Sculpture, Winter Haven (Fla.). His work can also be found in private collections in Arizona, Florida, Massachusetts and Colorado.
For more information about sculptor James Oleson, Jr., view a short video online at CDTV, or visit his website at www.jamesoleson.com.
About Art in Public Places
“I Spy Dearborn’s Art in Public Places” cards (which include photos and locations for all 12 MSI sculptures and two Pockets of Perception pieces) are available on the Dearborn Community Fund web page.
For more information on Dearborn’s 2012-2013 Art in Public Places Sculpture Initiative, including sculpture purchase information, contact the Dearborn Community Fund office at 313-943-5478. The DCF is a 501c3 organization and gifts toward purchase of a sculpture for permanent public installation are tax deductible.