Kevin Trobaugh proudly makes his debut appearance inside the state of Mississippi with his 2016 aluminum creation, Tipo 333. A 30-plus year sheet metal worker and welder, this retired O’Fallon, Illinois resident saw beauty in the shapes and metals of his craft. Yearning to take the experienced fabrication skills of his day trade to a more creative and challenging artform, Trobaugh found sculpture to be a perfectly rewarding outlet. His public art journey began in 1991 and he explored both free-standing and kinetic pieces, with permanent placements in private homes, gardens and municipal parks. “I am honored to have this piece be displayed at The Grammy Museum Mississippi,” Trobaugh shared. “There is certainly unintended musical hints and references in this piece, and I have been asked do I play the harp.” Laughing, he finished, “The answer is no.”
Learning Curve by Frederick Napoli
A first-time exhibitor with the Mathews-Sanders Sculpture Garden, Frederick Napoli delivers Learning Curve from Lake Zurich, Illinois. Approximately nine feet tall, the sculpture consists of five separate forms and a base, and is made of welded aluminum and painted in bright hues. A curvilinear sculpture, this piece manipulates space to represent motion through implied momentum, positive and negative spatial juxtaposition, and tension and release. “Colors and shapes can suggest peace and tranquility, or the opposite, such as discomfort, conflict and our difficulty navigating through daily tasks,” Napoli explains. “I have attempted to address the paradox everyone faces as inhabitants of a changing world through the interaction created by sculptural form colored in various hues with the suggestion of elements in constant motion.”
Fermata by Wayne Vaughn
FERMATA, WAYNE VAUGHN
The GRAMMY® Museum Mississippi
As defined in its musical context, a fermata is a pause of unspecified length on a note or rest. As defined by the sculpture of the same name, Wayne Vaughn explains, “My sister passed away while I was working on this piece and it ended up taking on a whole new meaning and significance. Just like in a musical composition, you have pauses in life, and in this case, it was a death in our family we had to overcome. We paused and grieved, and then we moved on; and in the business of getting on, this piece was created.” A classically trained musician and founding member of the over 30-year-old Triangle Brass Band, Vaughn is thrilled to have a piece of his work placed at the GRAMMY® Museum Mississippi, even joking, “I text all my music buddies and told them I made it at the GRAMMY® Museum before they did.”
Sax Riff by James Davis
SAX RIFF, JAMES DAVIS
The GRAMMY® Museum Mississippi
Exhibiting for his second time at the GRAMMY® Museum Mississippi, Jackson, Mississippi native James Davis brings his “Jazz Series” back to the site, this time installing Sax Riff. A concept succession that dissects the 2-5-1 progression in jazz music, Davis took a whole note, divided that by eight and shifted, arranged and then rearranged the pieces again to create the dynamic sculptures featured in the series. “I am constantly intrigued to see what happens if you move just one piece, or put this over here or that over there,” Davis explains. “I’m very lucky to be able to build these pieces and make public art. I will always be happy pulling down a welding mask and looking a bright light. It’s what I was meant to do.”
