After several decades positioned as a successful businessman and lawyer, George Tobolowsky transitioned to full-time artist and in less than 15 years, has produced over 550 sculptures that are permanently homed in just less than 60 public, private and museum collections. Tobolowsky makes abstract metal sculptures from steel and stainless steel “found objects” – or rather bulky industrial metal castoffs that he faithfully scours scrap yards and fabrication plants to find. Rarely altering these metal pieces, the Dallas native instead works to fit the individual scraps together – much like the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle – into a balanced composition. “My sculptures are one part assemblage and one part recycling, which follows closely with the philosophy of another early artistic influence and mentor, Louise Nevelson,” Tobolowsky adds.
Hill Climb by Jim Collins
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.”
Hold On / Let Go by Lawson King
Returning for his second consecutive competition class, Mississippi Delta native and Delta State University graduate, Lawson King has been apprenticing for public art veteran and venerable sculpture rock star, Ray Katz – also a fellow exhibitor, this year. “Ray and I met at the previous installation here in Cleveland, and it was quick. We were bonded right away; he’s an amazing soul and an inspiration – a true mentor,” King lauds. “My time in Pontiac (Michigan) has taught me so much, I’m learning everyday about my craft, my desires, my vision – everything really.” Those lessons learned are in full display in his newest piece, Hold On/Let Go. Challenging himself more than he has with any other piece, this 12 foot, fiberglass and steel tubing construct offered King fertile ground to survey his newest thematic exploration – control. “I think the balloon in the piece is metaphoric; it represents our desire to hold on, to think we are in control; but a balloon can slip out of our hands quickly. So is it better to surrender control, to let go?”
SCBS #12 by Matt Amante
“I make because I have to make,” Matt Amante declares. “I am wired to make and can’t not make. It, really, kind of, is that simple.” His innate desire to “make things” and create are the exact reason this newcomer to the Mathews-Sanders Sculpture Garden debuts with two pieces – one in the downtown collection and one in campus collection at Delta State University. SCBS #12 features stainless steel and precisely placed river rocks, bringing the piece to 74 inches tall and 18 inches wide. “I can get obsessive with a certain theme and I am motivated by exploring that series, whatever it is, all the way out. There are several in this self-study series. I’m excited to see how this piece lives in your downtown space.”
Ojai by Wayne Vaughn
Now his second time to exhibit work in downtown Cleveland and his fourth time to be presented in the biennial competition, Wayne Vaughn brings one of his more “whimsical” pieces in Ojai. Featuring a playful composition of colored paint and patina steel, this sculpture pays homage to Ojai, California – a place Vaughn, himself, has never visited. “One of my earliest supporters, Dr. Charles Millard with the Ackland Art Museum in Chapel Hill (North Carolina) had property in Ojai and he always spoke so lovingly, so warmly about this place. I was moved by that and I also wanted to honor him for the role he played at the start of this journey.” Vaughn continues, “I love to bring animation to cold, hard steel. My hope is that my work invites the viewer to play, question and respond – that or just a child’s smile will do.”
Skyhook by Wayne Vaughn
SKY HOOK, WAYNE VAUGHN
Downtown Cleveland, Mississippi
With a venerable career in construction preceding his foray into welding and public art installations, Wayne Vaughn knows what it takes to work ”big” both in form and space. “It’s a very pleasing scale to me; I like to work big,” Vaughn admits. “I have the equipment and I know how to do it, so it’s the right decision for me.” His construction background also provides muse for Vaughn’s latest installation in Mississippi. “It’s a classic joke to all the new guys on a construction site, ‘Hey Newbie, go get me the sky hooks.’ The joke being there is no such thing, but sometimes when you just can’t reach something or get to something comfortably, you sure wish there was such a thing,” Vaughn laughs. “It’s a fun piece, whimsical. I’m pleased with how it turned out.”
Foo Dog Column by Glen Zweygardt
FOO DOG COLUMN, GLEN ZWEYGARDT
Downtown Cleveland, Mississippi
Glenn Zweygardt continues his long-standing relationship inside the Mississippi Delta with his installation of Foo Dog Column. This marks the second time Zweygardt has been included in an inaugural installation site, first in the Garden at Delta State in 1999 and now, on the downtown walking trail in Cleveland. Zweygardt has seven pieces featured in the Mathews-Sanders Sculpture Garden Permanent Collection, including the commissioned piece at the head of the Garden on campus, Pam Remembered. Set to turn 75 this year, Zweygardt is still producing new works and showing internationally. “Listen, if I’m able and fit and still have ideas for new pieces, I will be creating. There is no quit in this body and I don’t think I’ve said all I want to say as an artist,” he said.
Sunburst by Hanna Jubran
SUNBURST, HANNA JUBRAN
Downtown Cleveland, Mississippi
Hanna Jubran is a Palestinian Arab Israeli sculptor, born in Jish, the upper Galilee, now residing in Grimesland, North Carolina. As a child in the mountains of Jish, he vividly remembers the “sun bursting over the mountains against the stark blue sky” and that precious childhood memory of his homeland serves as inspiration for his newest installation. Jubran’s work is expansive and his long, successful career has been marked with consistent themes. “My work addresses the concepts of time, movement, balance and space,” he explains. “I want each sculpture I create to occupy and create its own reality influenced by its immediate surroundings. I do not rely on one media to evoke the intended response. Instead, I take advantage of compatible materials such as wood, granite, iron, or – as in this case with Sunburst – steel and bronze.”
Flight by Matt Miller
FLIGHT, MATT MILLER
Downtown Cleveland, Mississippi
Hoping to capture the chaotic fervor with which a violinist plays his/her instrument, Matt Miller used mild steel to bring forth the worn patina aesthetic and stainless steel for “pops” of emphasis and impact in his 15ft creation, Flight. “I knew instantly what I wanted to do and my sketch for the piece was more so a grocery list of supplies,” he explains. “I wanted it to look like it was breaking apart or bowing into pieces because of that energy and command a musician has in playing this instrument. There is physicality in that delivery of music and sound, and there is physicality in my creation of this piece, in my work as a sculptor. I think there a lot of finish details that I would encourage the audience to notice and even think about their creation. Just slow down and let the piece speak to you. Find your connection to the piece.”
Broken Arrow by Lawson King
BROKEN ARROW, LAWSON KING
Downtown Cleveland, Mississippi
A native of the Mississippi Delta, Lawson King is a newcomer to the world of sculpture and public art; but his debut piece is both emotionally riveting and deeply personal. As a junior art major at Delta State University in 2015, King, like the entire collective campus, was shook by the murder of beloved Professor Ethan Schmidt on September 14. “I lost my father at a young age to the hands of gun violence and when that happened on campus, when we were locked down, unsure of what was happening, I knew I was scared and that brought back a lot of emotion. Creating Broken Arrow was my way of paying tribute to Dr. Schmidt and his love of Native American history, but I think it was also a reaction to that emotion. It was how I processed and, as I’ve continued to talk to people about this piece, I’m learning my art is helping to heal. It’s a salve to our campus community, Cleveland; and that is powerful and also extremely humbling,” King shares.
