CHESTERTOWN — The latest sculptures from the Peter and Hanna Woicke Collection have been placed in Chestertown, according to a news release from the town’s Public Arts Committee.
The collection, which has been fully gifted to the town, includes 23 pieces from a variety of acclaimed American and international artists.
Super Duty Yellow recently was installed in Gateway Park, which is located near the intersection of state Route 20 and Flatland Road.
In 2013, American artist Jeremy Thomas created this playful piece through an innovative process of welding sheets of metal together and then inflating them with forced air. Viewers of this abstract work may find that it reminds them of many different things, from a shiny birthday balloon to a fortune cookie.
Three additional sculptures from the Woicke Collection — Inchworm (for John Coltrane), Woicke’s Owl and Fully Empowered — are currently on view at Robert Ortiz Studios at 207 S. Cross St. They will be installed as weather permits, according to the news release.
In the meantime, the public is invited to stop in at Ortiz Studios to view them. Hours are 8:30 a.m. to noon and 1:30 to 5:30 p.m. weekdays and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays.
Inchworm (for John Coltrane) was made in 2000 by well-known American artist Lee Kelly, who named this Cor-Ten Steel work for a John Coltrane composition. Its swirling forms may remind us of the muscular yet fluid style of the great saxophonist’s playing style, while its steel wheels may be a sly pun to the saxophonist’s nickname “Trane”.
Don Rambadt created Woicke’s Owl as a special commission for the collectors in 2000. As he did with the sculptures Sentinel (installed in front of the Cerino Center) and Strength of Community (installed at the corner of Cannon and Mill streets), Rambadt artfully conjures the beauty of birds through a few simple lines to elegantly convey the grace and dignity of a perched owl.
Ella Tulin’s Fully Empowered was a signature piece in the United Nations’ international exhibit titled “Progress of the World’s Women” in 2000. This 1987 sculpture is a superb example of the kind of work that established this Maryland artist as a leader of the feminist art movement of the 1970s and 1980s.
Members of the Public Arts Committee work with the Chestertown Town Council, town hall staff and the town’s Parks and Recreation Commission to find fitting locations around town for the works.
Installation is overseen by Ben Herr of Anthony’s Flowers & Landscaping, Mat Warrington of Mackinaw Creations (artisan concrete) and Rob Glebe of Rob Glebe Design (fine metal art and craft).
Information about these sculptures and more, including how to support the Public Arts Committee, can be found at https://chestertownpublicarts.com/.
