Today, the dealers from the Dallas Art Fair are in for a special treat. They will get a private tour hosted by the Jones family to see the fabulous artwork in the Cowboys Stadium.
Mel Bochner, Win! 2009
Bochner was one of the founding fathers of Conceptual Art (where the concept or idea involved in the artwork takes precedence over traditional subject matter and materials). Win! is the largest work in Bochner's ongoing series of Thesaurus Paintings.
The fat, steady lettering style was learned from his father who was a sign painter.
Dave Muller, Solar Arrangement, 2009
Muller's first visit to a football field had nothing to do with sports. His science teacher took his class to a stadium to demonstrate how big the solar system is by using the entire field, as well as the stands beyond the opposite end-zone. Solar Arrangement plays off Muller's memory of that experience. The Sun is represented by the yellow rose of Texas, Mercury - dry leaves, Venus - popcorn, and Earth - clovers.
Muller is also a trumpet player and a record collector.
Franz Ackermann, Coming Home and Meet Me at the Waterfall, 2009
Ackermann began making “Mental Maps,” i.e. memories of walks
around unfamiliar cities. He then
captures the mental images with small colored-pencil drawings.
Ackermann's commission for the stadium started with his trip from
Berlin to the North Texas area.
Ackermann began the process of making his “Mental Maps” while sightseeing in the metroplex.
Many drawings, watercolors, and paintings were created, all based on what
he had observed. These studies were
projected on the walls of the stadium and painted with a crew of 8 assistants.
The artist could not stop where the commission was planned
to end (there was no architectural “break,” just an imaginary line down the
wall). As such, Ackerman continued the work until the wall touched the window, which
now includes an image of the now demolished Texas Stadium.
Trenton Doyle Hancock, From a Legend to a Choir, 2009
Hancock makes prints, drawings, and collaged felt paintings which tell stories of a fantastical
nature. The characters which populate
his imaginary worlds include the "Mounds," half-animal, half-plant creatures,
which are preyed upon by evil beings called vegans. The usual meaning of the word vegan is “a human who avoids leather, meat,
milk and other products considered by the vegan lifestyle to be unethical.” But
in Trenton Doyle Hancock's world, the vegans are the ones with the unethical
lifestyle.
Trent’s narrative (which the artist has been telling for the past
decade), is a constant battle between good and evil. Like us, his characters sometimes behave
admirably and other times they behave badly.
Trent is the stepson of a preacher.
One of Trent’s most famous characters is named Sesom………Moses spelled
backwards.
Olafur Eliasson, Fat Super Star, 2008-2009
Eliasson is an artist known for sculptures and
large-scale installation art, employing elemental materials such as light,
water, and air temperature to enhance the viewer’s experience.
Fat Super Star, is wrapped in a brass band that suggests elliptical orbits, recalling holiday decorations, religious jewels, reflecting
every color of the spectrum. The piece
is essentially a “homemade rainbow.”
Crafted from tinted glass, mirrors, and light fixtures, it casts “kaleidoscope
patters” on the ceiling and shines soft beams of light on its visitors, who
then become a part of the artwork.
One of the few pieces in the collection that was not commissioned as
a “site-specific” installation (editioned).
Teresita Fernandez, Starfield, 2009
Often
her sculptures present spectacular optical illusions and evoke rainbows, sunlight,
fire and water. Fernández has brought the 1960’s Minimalism Movement to
a much more refined, gracious and elegant heights.
Starfield brings the viewer into every tiny
mirror, giving one a miniature reflection……but it keeps one moving, like a star
in the sky, the art comes alive, twinkling, shimmering, and reflecting all the
colors in the spectrum.
Annette Lawrence, Coin Toss, 2009
Lawrence (who will be joining me at the tour) is a visual artist who's work is often in response to a physical space and time.
The shape of the sculpture mimics the spinning motion of a single coin tossed in the air. This movement is also suggested in the work's title. Text, shape, and architecture working together reminding the viewer of the tradition of the "coin toss" at the start of each football game.
The walls had to be completely torn-down and then re-built to insert a steel brace to hold the sculpture and walls in place, holding approximately 30,000 lbs of tension.
Phil Whitfield, Art Ambassador and Docent for the stadium. Great friend....please read the fantastic article on his relationship to the Cowboys, artists and artwork. Click HERE!
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