Sculpture
This birdhouse was modeled after Victorian architecture with a tight, heightened layout that features a tower, multiple roof lines, gabled windows with window boxes, and a ground level porch. Circular 1 1/4 inch cutouts on the left and right sides of the house provide entry suitable for smaller bird species. The house has a number of other design features particular to its target inhabitants including ventilation sources, non-toxic resin and paint materials, a spacious interior and removable back wall for easy cleaning.
Gabriella Polony Mountain's work includes four major themes. The first three themes are clearly recognizable as the Cosmos, Nature, and Figural works with the fourth theme encompassing history, philosophy, and culture. In her life as an artist, Polony Mountain worked with many different medium including mosaics, weavings, sculpture, stained glass, and repousse. Sculpture is a three dimensional branch of the visual arts. In traditional forms of sculpture, the materials used were easily accessible and consisted of stone, metal, wood, ceramics.
Cecil C. Carstensen was born in Marquette, Kansas in 1906. In 1940, he moved to Kansas City with his wife Blanche and became a part of the art community. Carstensen primarily worked in wood carving, however, woodcut printmaking was another important medium. He taught wood sculpting at the Kansas City University and was President of MidAmerica Artists Association. He wrote "Craft and Creation of Wood Sculpting" in 1971.
Cecil C. Carstensen was born in Marquette, Kansas in 1906. In 1940, he moved to Kansas City with his wife Blanche and became a part of the art community. Carstensen primarily worked in wood carving, however, woodcut printmaking was another important medium. He taught wood sculpting at the Kansas City University and was President of MidAmerica Artists Association. He wrote "Craft and Creation of Wood Sculpting" in 1971.
What is a unique piece of wood from behind transforms into a cozy chair on which a bear rests reading a book. Deep gouges into the wood surface imitate the texture of the bear’s fur while a contrasting stain achieves its color. The bear is reclined and appears relaxed as they were in their natural habitat, inciting imagination about leisure time in the wild. A fitting addition to the library’s art collection, this bear is not only engaged with a book but represents the treasures within should one take the time to look.
Gabriella Polony Mountain's work includes four major themes. The first three themes are clearly recognizable as the Cosmos, Nature, and Figural works with the fourth theme encompassing history, philosophy, and culture. In her life as an artist, Polony Mountain worked with many different medium including mosaics, weavings, sculpture, stained glass, and repousse. Sculpture is a three dimensional branch of the visual arts. In traditional forms of sculpture, the materials used were easily accessible and consisted of stone, metal, wood, ceramics.
The use of bronze became popular in 15th century Europe as a means to bridge ornament in sculpture with a faster rate of production. Artists employed the lost-wax method where wax models of sculpture would be encased by a mold wherein molten bronze would be poured over the wax model and once set the wax would be melted out, leaving a bronze production of the sculpture. With reusable molds and the availability and durability of bronze this method allowed artists to reproduce sculpture and objects like this serving bowl at a faster rate and higher quantity for a flourishing Europe.
Ilus W. Davis served as the mayor of Kansas City from 1963 to 1971. He was one of the first students to attend the city's university, which would later become the University of Missouri-Kansas City, and later got his law degree from the University of Missouri in Columbia. Some of his major contributions as mayor included the building of the Kansas City International Airport and the initial construction for the Truman Sports Complex. After the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.
This is a replica of a ceremonial Hsun-ok vessel of Burma (Myanmar) that has been used for centuries to carry offerings to Buddhist monasteries. Historically, the vessel originates from the Pagan region in Burma. The lacquering technique used for this particular vessel applies numerous coats of black lacquer followed by layers of red lacquer over thin strips of bamboo which creates a lightweight vessel ideal for carrying long distances. A beautifully aged patina develops over time as a result of the lacquer process.
Dante Alighieri, born 1265, was one of the greatest Italian poets during the late Middle Ages. Dante Alighieri , commonly known as Dante, was the touchstone for establishing the literature of Italy. His representations of Hell, Purgatory, and Heaven was influential for the larger body of Western art. Dante is best known for his literary classic “The Divine Comedy” which was widely considered to be the preeminent work in classic Italian literature. The epic work was completed one year prior to Dante’s death in 1321. This ceramic bust captures a typical representation of Dante Alighieri.
This bronze bust depicts the lumber baron, John Barber White, and rests atop a green marble pedestal. John Barber White, researched and published his family genealogy and spent years collecting the finest books on genealogy and American history. In 1933, ten years after White's death, his descendants donated this collection to the Kansas City Public Library. This donation greatly enhanced the Missouri Valley Room's genealogical collection. Donated along with the volumes from his genealogical library was this bronze bust of White.
This bust of Missouri native Thomas Hart Benton (1889-1975) depicts the artist in his last years. Coe's articulate rendering of Benton's facial dimensions, with eyes deep-set beneath a furrowed brow, accurately achieves the intense gaze with which Benton is often pictured. Being from a mostly rural southwestern area of Missouri, Benton is most known for his mural sized paintings depicting the lives of working-class people. To date, he is regarded as one of the greatest American painters of the 20th century.
This sculpture of a young girl on a rocking horse reminds one of the joys of childhood playtime, but also its woes. There is no mistaking the girl's contempt as it settles into her furrowed brow and pouty lip, although one can assume it would have been short-lived and forgotten with more play. She wears a simple white dress, a matching white hair bow and knee-high socks with Mary Jane shoes. With her beady glare and both hands gripping the rocking horse handles, she appears determined to take off on the horse from her troubles.
The sculpture depicts a seated child presumably reading a small book. However, the way the child is seated, clumsily plopped down, suggests that the child may be exploring the book with the unkempt wonder of their own mind and not yet reading it. The sculpture reminds the viewer of this period of time in every person's life and perhaps further suggests how it extends as one grows older and is able to read the book, although still enjoying the wonders of imagination.
Based in Kansas City, Irma Starr is a world-renowned potter who creates collectible works of art that are modeled after the 17th-century slipware style of pottery. This plate commemorates the Kansas City Public Library's 9th and Locust Street Location in correlation to Native American collections in Kansas City. The center of the plate features the Library's original building in sharp relief aligned with the perspective of the building. Below it is the dates of that location, 1897-1960.
Gabriella Polony Mountain's work includes four major themes. The first three themes are clearly recognizable as the Cosmos, Nature, and Figural works with the fourth theme encompassing history, philosophy, and culture. In her life as an artist, Polony Mountain worked with many different medium including mosaics, weavings, sculpture, stained glass, and repousse. Sculpture is a three dimensional branch of the visual arts. In traditional forms of sculpture, the materials used were easily accessible and consisted of stone, metal, wood, ceramics.
CowParade is an ongoing international public art exhibit that has featured the artistry of over 5,000 artists across 80 major world cities. Fiberglass sculptures of cows are decorated by local artists, and distributed around the host city in public places such as train stations, important avenues, and parks. They often feature artwork and designs specific to local culture, as well as city life and other relevant themes. There are three styles of cows provided –standing, grazing, or reclining. Artists are selected to decorate the cows based on design ideas submitted to a committee.
This sculpture titled Don’t Drop Me by Dominic Benhura depicts a group of three children engaged in lively interaction. In designing this playful paragon of joy, Benhura combined steel, wire, and stone to compose a work of art that practically sings out loud.
Benhura simultaneously captured balance and movement both physically and emotionally through this work. Two children face each other and stand on one leg with the other leg outstretched behind. They both reach up to balance a third playmate between them.
Gabriella Polony Mountain's work includes four major themes. The first three themes are clearly recognizable as the Cosmos, Nature, and Figural works with the fourth theme encompassing history, philosophy, and culture. In her life as an artist, Polony Mountain worked with many different medium including mosaics, weavings, sculpture, stained glass, and repousse. Sculpture is a three dimensional branch of the visual arts. In traditional forms of sculpture, the materials used were easily accessible and consisted of stone, metal, wood, ceramics.
This depiction of an early railroad worker, then-called "gandy dancers", was created by the artist to honor Irish immigrant laborers who contributed so greatly to the western expansion of the First Transcontinental Railroad in 1869. The figure shown balances on two railroad ties while holding a segment of track. The strain in his hand tendons and contracted muscles in his back indicate the heavy weight of the segment and the difficulty of the work in general.