A newcomer to the Mathews-Sanders Sculpture Garden, Jim Collins is an accomplished artist with studios in both Chattanooga, Tennessee and Highlands, North Carolina. With over forty years of experience, Collins first began his career in wood carving, before transitioning to painting and later to public art in 1970, with his collection’s signature piece, The Viewer, being born in 1977. His sculpture style has been characterized by the use of silhouettes of people and animals constructed of stainless steel, aluminum and other metals. Fabricated in 2019, Hill Climb stands 10 ft. tall and is compromised of five cyclists on an upward climb, hence the name; although Collins cautions, “I try not to put too much value in the name of a piece. I don’t want it to lead a viewer’s interpretation of the piece.” He continues, “Sculpture is to be understood by the viewer, to be experienced by the viewer – not the artist.”
Hill Climb by Jim Collins
