Devotion by Shahin Atigeh
Material: Bronze
My work is monumental in scale. The exuberance of my philosophy could be expressed in no lesser form. It is a philosophy that celebrates the freedom of the human spirit to express its emotions: the love of a man for a woman, their love of God, of His children, His animals and all of His creation.
My work is elegantly simple, yet powerfully spiritual, intending to communicate the essence of prayer: seeking, finding, connecting. I feel the need to share this philosophy with as many people as possible, and thus I prefer to direct my art toward a public environment. I would like my sculptures to invite people to approach, touch and be one with my work, and therefore one with my soul.
Acquired in 2000
Ancient One by Juan Carlos Caballero-Perez
Material: Steel
This work embraces a dialogue between the past and the present by manifesting the sacred entity and the symbolic representation of the spirit of the object. The sculpture reflects a metaphorical meaning of the emotional power of ancient symbols and archaic elements of human cultures that are long gone, leaving just a trace of myth and their secret past.
This work embodies a sense of ritual and embraces the spirit of reverence through its composition. Created by welding and weathering steel, I attempt to recreate a sense of ancient aesthetic qualities in a new context.
Worship Gate by Shawn Phillip Morin
Materials: Limestone, steel
Although we are not yet like angels, we like angels are spiritual beings created for the purpose of fellowship with our Creator. And just as we cannot save ourselves from our own sinful condition, neither can we enter into the act of worship through the power of our own flesh. It is in fact, God's very own Spirit that both causes and enables us to worship Him. The prophet Isaiah says that 'all our righteous acts are like filthy rags.' (Isa. 64:6 NIV) This truth suggests that in order to worship the one, true God we must enter into something (or someone) more worthy and pure than ourselves. Jesus says it this way, 'Enter through the narrow gate,' and '...no one comes to the father except through me.' (Matt. 7:13 & Jn. 14:6 NIV) When we worship the Father through the Son we enter through the only acceptable Worship Gate.
Acquired in 2002
Flags in Red by Thomas Yurkovic
Material: Welded and painted steel
"Flags in Red" began as a simple wire and paper model which I designed solely as a study of balance and form. Its minimalist composition and hard, straight lines appealed to me aesthetically, and also made it possible to create in a large scale using readily available materials and techniques. The structure was welded from plate steel and pipe, and once assembled, was sandblasted and painted. "Flags," to me, still possesses the spontaneity of the study model, but I could foresee early on that if produced at a certain scale, the form could be expressive and intriguing due to its positive/negative space relationship, and use of balance.