"LD's Song" Stands Majestic Near The Robert Hosier Memorial Garden

LD's Song

by Rollin Karg (Kechi, KS)

The Public Art League is proud to welcome LD's Song by Rollin Karg (Kechi, KS) to the corner of Neil Street & Stadium Drive in Champaign.  The sculpture stands majestic (14' tall) near the Robert Hosier Memorial Garden.

The artist states: "I have been working in glass and metal for over thirty years.  About twelve years ago I started making public art.  A sculpture has a profound amount of spiritual content in it.  Creating and designing for special locations is exciting, but physically seeing my work in the outdoor setting really makes me feel like I have made an impact in the world.  My work is a bridge to communicate the spirit of man to the world in which we live."

"Seeing the stunning effect that glass and metal have on the landscape is pure joy.  Glass is so durable that people forget it has been out of doors since the beginning of its creation.  History tells the story of glass.  Art is like a rocket full of our hopes, dreams and history that shoots into the future for all generations to come."

He further states:  "LD's Song is a tribute to the mother of Rollin's son.  Like its sister sculpture Woman's Song, LD's Song represents a woman's ability to endure and thrive despite adversity and hardships.  Their ability to bring beauty no matter the situation."

A big thank you to Mike & Connie Hosier for the Site Sponsorship of this piece.

Artist Rollin Karg installing LD's Song in Champaign

"Loop" Emerges in Mattis Park

Loop

with artist, Jim Weitzel

The Public Art League proudly welcomes Loop by artist Jim Weitzel (Forest City, NC) to Mattis Park in Champaign.  Loop is a sculpture made on a wire armature that is covered with bonding cement onto which the artist has incised small marks and then applied stain.  The sculpture is filled with high-density foam for added strength and to stop water migration.

Of Loop, the artist states:  "The sculpture is about energy; there is the energy of all those small marks and then my goal was to make the arms of the sculpture appear to emerge from the earth and show how the energy is disrupted until it can make the final loop back around and re-enter the ground."

"I saw this sculpture in a dream.  In the dream, it was composed of maybe thirty sections that formed a circle and was flowing water.  This piece is my effort to realize that vision in a three-dimensional form.  The sculpture was created of a few years' time and completed in 2015."

"This is, of course, a metaphor for our lives and the human struggle.  All the energy that it takes to be a person and how we have fits and starts until we close the loop and become truly human."

A big thanks to James Barham and Barham Benefit Group for the site sponsorship of this piece.

Loop

by Jim Weitzel

"La Diva II" - A Vibrant Addition to Downtown Champaign!

La Diva II

by Ruth Aizuss Migdal

The Public Art League proudly welcomes La Diva II by Ruth Aizuss Migdal (Chicago, IL) to the corner of Neil Street and Park Ave. in Downtown Champaign.  The sculpture stands 12 feet tall and is constructed of fabricated steel painted bright red.

The artist states: "La Diva II exhibits what it is to be a strong, independent woman full of life and beauty.  It captures the individual strength in all of us.  The larger-than-life, vividly red sculpture is a celebration of life.  It activates its surroundings by bringing to it a bold presence."

La Diva II is the second of the artist's work to be featured in the community.  The majestic Flamenco Revisited (also by Migdal) is installed in Porter Park in Southwest Champaign.

A big thank you to Robin Allen & Dan Noel, Whitney & Andrew Hartman, Masha & Brent Trenhaile and the Friends of PAL for the site sponsorship of this piece.

La Diva II

by Ruth Aizuss Migdal