My Projects

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  Acorn Steam

  In the Fall of 2011 the new $1 billion Central Terminal B opened for business at the Sacramento International Airport and Lipski’s grand chandelier Acorn Steam was among the new works of art to be unveiled, located just outside of the security area. Acorn Steam is comprised of three massive valley oak trees, which Lipski first encountered in Sacramento’s Capitol Park. The three faux trees are joined at the trunk by steel collars and massive chains that suspend the work from the ceiling. The chandelier has about 5,000 Swarovski crystals hanging from the branches that catch and reflect the sun light during the day as well as the 3,000 LED lights that activate the work in the evening. The canopy of the trees stretches 30’ in diameter and measures 12’ tall. Well known for his playful titles, Lipski’s title Acorn Steam is an anagram of Sacramento.

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  All Together Now

  All Together Now provides a new identity to the Intermodal Station Parking Garage in Rhode Island, transforming the utilitarian building into a memorable event. The iconic image and inspirational message are woven together and become one for the viewer to forever associate with his or her memory of Warwick. The multicolor screen facade introduces an exception in the urban landscape adding a note of color and joy to the utilitarian building.

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  Alluvial Mirror

  For the Julia Street entrance to the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center artist Patrick Marold designed Alluvial Mirror, a sculpture that pays homage to the pedestrian park’s historic location on the river front where a sandy beach once naturally formed due to the river’s alluvium. Alluvial, derived from the Latin alluvius, refers to the soils deposited by surface water. The alluvium of the river and its mineral deposits are complimented by the New Orleans community and culture that has developed, transformed and established itself over the centuries.

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  Art the Dalmatian

  Art the Dalmatian is located at the Central ARTSTATION in Shreveport, LA. Art the Dalmatian guards the renovated and repurposed fire station from his post on Crockett Street, outside of the Engine Room doors of Central ARTSTATION. Art the Dalmatian stands 19.5’ tall and is designed as a tribute to the Dalmatian that has become iconic to Fire Fighters; With a nod to the performances that will emanate from the Engine Room in the Central ARTSTATION, Art the Dalmatian is solid white fiberglass and is covered in iconic “dots” that each light up when the “dot donor’s” name is selected from a key board. Art preforms a programmable “light show” each evening. “What a better way to celebrate SRAC’s new beginnings than with our new pal, Art the Dalmatian; but, you’ll soon learn that at night he is a brilliantly dotted Dalmatian. Our hope is that everyone will enjoy the fantastic light show before and after events at the new Central ARTSTATION, “said Brandon Oldenburg and William Joyce.

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  As Rose As Rain

  For the Colorado School for the Deaf and Blind in Colorado Springs artist Matthew Geller designed As Rose as Rain, a hybrid of a park bench, a porch swing, a gazebo, and a playground spring rider. In Geller’s words, “With my public artwork, I set out to engage the public and foster a sense of community. The works are spirited, accessible, and very often unexpected. By using industrial materials and disparate elements in functional and playful ways, my artwork aims to encourage engagement with the site, the work, and among the public themselves.” For this unique site Geller created a work of outdoor art that engages multiple senses combining strong visual elements with user participation and movement.

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  As yet Untitled chandelier for the ‘Quin House

  The ‘Quin social club reopened their doors in July of 2021 after two years of renovations to the establishment formerly known as The Algonquin Club. Originally constructed in 1888, this Boston staple spans over 56,000 feet across six stories. For the Bondo restaurant artist Donald Lipski created 'As yet Untitled chandelier for the ‘Quin House' that takes the shape of a tree, inverted and suspended over the dining room. The ornate crystal lined tree branches out over the space, dripping with 2,500 Swarovski crystals providing a stunning day to night viewing experience.

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  Candy Box

  For the new Pinnacle Bank Arena in the Haymarket Section of Lincoln, NE, artist Donald Lipski created a giant box of chocolates, paying homage to Lincoln's history as a center of chocolate manufacturing. Many of the chocolates have shapes and images that relate to symbols of Lincoln, past and present. This work measures 21’ x 13’ x 14” and is constructed of plastics, steel and LED lighting.

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  Centipenty

  Centipenty is a colossal teeter-tottering spring rider that bounces, sways, pivots, and clangs. Created for Wing Luke Elementary School in Seattle, WA, the 24 seats, in 3 sizes, derive their dimensions from the classroom chairs for kindergartners through 5th graders, who activate the movement and sound with their exuberant participation.

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  Columbia River Watershed

  The redevelopment of Vancouver’s Waterfront Park is a design solution that unites the waterfront with the surrounding community for the first time in 100 years. Artist Larry Kirkland was commissioned to create 2 works of public art as part of the redevelopment project: The Grant Street Pier completed in 2018 and the Columbia River Watershed completed in 2019. The Columbia River Watershed is an interactive water feature that is a place to play, learn, and contemplate the Columbia River, it’s tributaries and the vast land area that makes up its watershed. The Headwaters serves as the starting point where water flows over the etched granite surface depicting the Columbia watershed into the pool symbolizing its many tributaries. This 12’ (H) x 16’ (W) stone and bronze monolith is oriented north/south to the adjacent Columbia River. On the other side of the Headwaters is a bronze casting of a topographic map which displays the source of the Columbia at Lake Columbia in British Columbia and is mounted to a Coast Green Granite slab from Brazil. Encompassing the bronze casting is an essay written by award winning author Teresa Jordan who Kirkland partnered with to capture the importance of the Columbia River both to its natural environment and the people who have been sustained by it.

  2020-project

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  Coo Lot with Plum Pipes

  Coo Lot with Plum Pipes transforms two empty residential lots by creating a new jaunty entrance to R.J. Taylor Park in Cleveland, OH which includes a spot for neighbors to saunter, meet, and gather. Referencing the nearby Nottingham Water Treatment Plant, the artwork is a 135-foot labyrinthine of water pipes with a swaying bench, horizontal pipes that provide bench-like seating, and light that spills out of the vertical pipes like water to illuminate the path and trees in the evening.

  CODAmagazine

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  Country Club Towers

  Artist William Matthews was commissioned to create two unique works of art for the Country Club Towers located in Denver, CO. Matthews is best known for his depictions of the American West and primarily works in watercolor. For this project one of Matthews' original watercolor paintings was translated into a stunning wall hung woven tapestry which can be found in one of the common areas. For the lobby Matthews' painted an original nine panel watercolor that is prominently displayed as residents enter the building.

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  Cow Catcher

  For the regional RTC bus terminal in the historical railroad town of Sparks, NV, artist Donald Lipski designed a vertically exaggerated train cowcatcher to 43’ tall. The terminal’s beam structures also feature Lipski’s artwork in the form of designed cutouts.

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  Deterministic Chaos

  Deterministic Chaos is an installation based work by artist Catherine Widgery that interacts with both the interior and exterior space of the Tate Science Building at the University of Minnesota. Widgery’s intent for this work of art is to heighten our awareness of the complexity and magic of reflected and projected light as animated by the wind outside and air currents inside. The extraordinarily complex dual nature of both light and matter as both particles and waves is the inspiration for this work. Any consideration of light involves a consideration of time so part of Widgery's concept is to record the random patterns of light projected onto the wall over a period of time. In a sense this is an artwork that the wind and the properties of light create so that one can only guess what the final configuration on the large wall opposite the windows might look like.

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  Double Dip

  For Grand Peaks new development project, Spur at Iliff Station in Aurora, Colorado, Denver based artist Elsa Sroka created an original painting that was translated into a 30’ x 12’ ceramic tile mural on the buildings facade. Sroka’s recent works focus on cows as her subject matter, placing them in unconventional settings; a conscious departure from the traditional context in which cows are depicted in much of western art. Sroka finds the most important element to be the cow’s expression giving her subject a personality to inspire an emotional connection with both the painter and the viewer. Sroka believes the ordinary subject becomes significantly more intriguing when misplaced, inviting the viewer to pay attention through the element of surprise. For this site Sroka created a playful composition of a cow standing in a baby pool with another cow perched atop their back.

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  Down Periscope

  Adjacent to the Buffalo Bayou Park in Houston, TX is an abandoned, 87,500 square foot underground cistern that’s approximately the size of 1.5 football fields. Artist Donald Lipski created a periscope to look down into this amazing, underground space that was originally built in 1926 and served as a drinking water reservoir for the City of Houston for decades. The reservoir was decommissioned in 2007 after an irreparable leak was discovered and in 2010 as the Buffalo Bayou Partnership was developing the $58 million Buffalo Bayou Park project they “discovered” the site. Recognizing the historical and architectural significance of the highly unusual space, Buffalo Bayou Partnership with the City of Houston worked to take over development and maintenance of the space.

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  Echo

  Artist David Zimmer’s installation Echo is an abstraction of a majestic tree moving in the wind. The image is broken up onto 13 LED panels and reconstructed in a collage style throughout the space. The work evokes the feeling of being in nature, in contrast to its concrete and glass surroundings. The subject matter is three giant oak trees on the outskirts of Denver that Zimmer has been filming intermittently over the last 10 years. The name Echo is meant to evoke the memories that have taken place under and around the tree over the past many years.

  2022 CODAawards Entry

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  F.I.S.H.

  In 2009 the city of San Antonio was in stages, extending its landmark River Walk by 8 miles. Artist Donald Lipski was selected to design a work of public art for the Museum Reach section of the San Antonio River Walk which extends under the rather forbidding darkness of Interstate I-35. For this unique location Lipski designed a school of fish, each 7’ long and made of fiberglass by New Wave Taxidermy in Florida. These 25 fiberglass replicas of native, long-eared sunfish catch the reflection of the light off the water below during the daytime and are illuminated from within at night, with about 1,000 l.e.d. lights in each one.

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  Five Easy Pieces

  Five Easy Pieces is a playful installation that fills the atrium of the Washington D.C. Convention Center. The installation consists of five separate sculptures installed in the 100' tall atrium space made from actual: guitars, tennis racquets, kayaks, bicycles, and bar stools. These works can be viewed from various levels using the stairs, escalators, balconies and bridges. The largest of the five sculptures is 16’ in diameter.

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  Flame Flower

  40 feet tall stainless steel forms are abstractions of the natural world around the Westin Gaslamp Quarter in San Diego. Flames, wings, sails, and leaves are referenced in a way that allows the viewer space for interpretation, but gives an anchoring identity to the hotel plaza. Color changing lights create a nighttime show of movement and mood.

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  Got Any Jacks?

  Got Any Jacks? touches more than a dozen walls of Terminal D at the Miami International Airport. This suite of sculptures is comprised of 500 fiberglass fish replicas. In Lipski’s words, “You have two experiences in an airport. You are rushing through and hardly see anything. Or you are stuck here and have hours to kill. To try to come up with something to serve both of those situations is challenging and I love that."

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  Grant Street Pier

  Kirkland's Grant Street Pier is the focal point of Vancouver Waterfront Park, Vancouver's largest infill development to date. The massive cable stay structure suspends 90' over the Columbia River and features a 75' beam intended to mirror the mast of a passing sailboat. Structural engineering details for the project are etched into the bases of the massive cable stay structure that support the pier, giving the viewer a behind the scenes look. One of the bases is etched with an image of the American ship Columbia Rediviva which in May of 1792 entered the river that now bears its name.

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  He Kauhulu ‘Anae (A Gathering of Mullets)

  Artist Donald Lipski created a suspended sculpture entitled He Kauhulu ‘Anae (A Gathering of Mullets) for the Leeward Community College Station in Pearl City. The star-studded star of mullet fish speak to the history of this place. Historical loko’i’a (fishponds) once flourished near this station, providing a steady abundance of fish for the early settlers of this area. This sculpture is inspired by the legend of Maihea, who lived in Waimalu. He Evoked the gods daily for continued properity of his cultivated crops. The gods, Kāne and Kanaloa came and stood at the top of Hā’upu, now the area of Leeward Community College. Looking towards ‘Ewa at the adjacent lowlands and loko’i’a they offered a chant to name and bless the surrounding sustainable resources: “…May the fish ponds down at Waiawa be as stars in the sky above.”

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  Hiding My Candy

  In 2013 Donald Lipski was asked to design a work for the 300 seat auditorium located in the new San Diego Central Library, an important new civic space that serves as a venue for concerts, lectures and overflow City Council meetings. He lined the 8.5’ tall and 50’ long wall with 1,700 open books, overlapping and screwed into the wall, and covered with stainless steel mesh. The work also functions as an important acoustical element in the auditorium. The work was commissioned in 2003, but political delays in the building of the Rob Quigley designed library kept it from being completed until 2013. The title, as is Lipski’s habit in his book works, comes from the title of one of the books used in the sculpture, Hiding My Candy, by The Lady Chablis, an American actress, author, and transgender club performer, made famous in the John Berendt book, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.

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  I Love You

  Miami based R&R Studios, comprised of husband and wife team Roberto Behar & Rosario Marquardt, created the I LOVE YOU installation located at the Young At Art Museum and Broward County Library in Florida. This work of public art transforms an outdoor space into an open air room for children and their families to read, create art, picnic, and enjoy the library's popular story-telling program. Colorful flower shaped benches are arranged in a semicircle facing the ten foot tall letters that spell the phrase "I LOVE YOU". The 44 foot diameter circular room is bordered by a ring of plants to further define the space.

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  Interface

  For the Iowa State University Innovation Center artist Catherine Widgery has created two distinct designs for the courtyard and vestibules entitled Interface. To enter this building is to pass through the artwork in the vestibules where pleated dichroic glass walls break up and reconfigure our surroundings, so we see ourselves in relation to the world around us in a transformed way. Anyone passing through the vestibules is reflected multiple times in shifting fragments, a visually rich and always changing experience. The artwork in the interior courtyard on the second level is a series of suspended ‘floating’ lacy copper screens. Here, thin copper panels have been cut in a chevron pattern, echoing the forms found in the building façade and the pleated forms of the entryway artwork. These open screens create a canopy visible from the windows above, below and within the courtyard itself. Embedded in these screens are thousands of tiny LED lights linked via computer software to an anemometer mounted outside on the building’s roof. This sensor measures wind speed and direction so the lights dim and brighten sequentially in real time as they respond to the invisible energy of the wind.

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  Intimate Apparel and Pearl Earrings

  For the Fort Worth Convention Center in Texas artist Donald Lipski created a massive “Texas Star” measuring 28’ across and 7’ wide. This collaborative work of art is made from around 400 cowboy hats attached to a tubular steel frame. The piece was truly a community effort, as all the hats were donated by the people of Fort Worth and elsewhere in Texas. It includes hats given by Governor Rick Perry, George H. W. Bush, rodeo and country western stars, movie cowboys and at least one ex-president. It hangs suspended by a cable, and slowly turns by the power of the HVAC system. Special thanks to Garlene Parris who donated three hats to the project: the hat she wore when the title of the youngest World Champion Cowgirl was bestowed on her at age five; the hat her mother wore when she became National Champion Cowgirl at Madison Square Garden; and the hat she was given when she retired after 25 years working at the King Ranch. In recognition of Garlene Parris and her tireless efforts on this project, Lipski included her name in the title of the work Intimate Apparel and Pearl Earrings in the form of an anagram.

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  Jackson

  For the regional bus terminal in Reno, Nevada artist Donald Lipski designed an eye catching work of public art that serves as both the sign and symbol for the terminal. The sculpture is made from a vintage 1962 GMC ‘fishbowl’ transit bus that was sliced and reassembled to taper at the rear. The bus is illuminated from within, and also has working exterior head, tail and running lights. This impressive work gives the illusion of a bus shooting into the sky. In 2008 Lipski to created another work of public art for the terminal in Reno's twin city, Sparks, entitled Cow Catcher.

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  LEADING LIGHTS

  LEADING LIGHTS is a colonnade where each of 34 columns has three panels of dichroic glass to create a triangular lantern mounted on steel poles. These dichroic glass surfaces reflect the surroundings through a veil of color. The colors are always shifting depending on the angle of the sun and the position of the viewer. When direct sunlight strikes the glass surface, brilliant colored bands are projected onto the ground and nearby surfaces. At night these columns become delicately colored lanterns as solar powered lights installed in the cap come on at dusk.

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  Leaves of Grass

  For the 6 story, curtain-walled lobby of the new, state of the art Levine Children’s Hospital in Charlotte, North Carolina, artist Donald Lipski created a tubular stainless steel structure that holds a stainless steel net filled with over 10,000 glass chandelier crystals of various shapes and colors. The south facing curtain wall allows ample sunlight into the space which creates a beautiful array of reflected color throughout the lobby space. The work measures 50' x 60' x 8'.

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  Let Love Endure

  For the new Philadelphia Public Safety Building, located in the historic Art Deco tower that was once the home of the Philadelphia Inquirer Newspaper, artist Donald Lipski created an enlarged badge studded with 1,400 actual badges representing all of the ranks. The sculpture can be viewed by visitors in the building’s lobby and pedestrians and motorists outside on Broad Street, the city’s main north-south thoroughfare. Lipski’s original design for the suspended sculpture was completed in 2019. In response to the events of 2020 Lipski set about transforming his initial design to reflect what the badge should ideally stand for.

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  Los Caballos

  For the new Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, TX, Denver based painter William Matthews’ created a stunning design that captures the spirit and history of the American West. The original watercolor painting was translated into an eye catching 63' x 12’ 2” mosaic smalti tile mural that sits above the South entrance of the new Dickies Arena. The mosaic smalti tile mural commemorates the horse, first brought by the Spanish and now an enduring symbol of the American West, whose introduction to North America transformed the Great Plains and the West for both Native Americans and American pioneers. Set against an untamed landscape, the piece captures the movement of wild horses running among scrub and brush, set against rolling hills, mesas, and a storm-filled sky. Each side of the mosaic smalti tile mural is flanked with a 12’ 2” tall bronze bas-relief sculpture of a cowboy on one side and a Comanche on the other, conceived from Matthews’ original composition drawings. On the left is a depiction of an early day cowboy of the American West, skilled and confident. On the opposite side is a Comanche, considered the “Lord of the Plains” and master of the horse culture, brave, and graceful. Both figures, seated on horse-back, serve as welcoming ambassadors to all visitors.

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  Luz de Denver

  Luz de Denver (Light of Denver) by artist Jorge Marín is the most recent permanent work of art to be installed at The Plaza at Riverfront Park located at 1610 Little Raven St in Denver, Colorado. Luz de Denver is a replica of the original Wings of the City sculpture that was included as part of a temporary installation of Marín’s work in Commons Park in 2016. Marin is well known for his traveling wings sculptures that originate in his studio located in Mexico and are designed for public spaces around the world as both temporary and permanent installations.

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  Modulated 32 (#1) and (#2)

  In 2018 Public Art Services began working with Continuum Partners to develop a vision for the art programming for their redevelopment project at 9th Ave & Colorado Blvd in Denver, CO. This redevelopment project reintegrates the former 26-acre University of Colorado School of Medicine campus into the surrounding neighborhood fabric by blending apartments and townhomes with retail, offices and new public green spaces. For Block 4 Denver based painter Andrew Huffman was commissioned to create two paintings that would serve as focal points on the exterior of the parking garage at Albion St and 9th Pl. Choosing his color palate carefully, Huffman created two striking, bold, patterned, geometric compositions that draw attention to the North and East entrances of the parking garage. Modulated 32 (#1) & Modulated 32 (#2) both employ the same pentagonal tessellation pattern and color palates but differ in the placement of the colors creating a visual conversation between the two compositions as you round the corner of the building. The works are named for the 32 colors used in each composition. In order to scale the work properly for the site Huffman created the two paintings at 1/12 the scale of the final printed Structurflex panels which measure 47’ 1” x 32’ (North) and 49’ 1” x 40’ 11” (East).

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  Nails' Tales

  For the Camp Randall Stadium at the the University of Wisconsin, Madison, artist and alum Donald Lipski designed a 50' tall obelisk that takes the form of a giant limestone block which is eroding into a pile of footballs. The base of the sculpture is limestone and the obelisk shape is made of gel-coated fiberglass that mimics the look of stone. Lipski received a BA in American History from the University of Wisconsin in 1970. His time there was years of anti-war activism, as chronicled in the wonderful David Maraniss book They Marched into Sunlight, and the movie The War at Home. Nails’ Tales was named for Lipski’s college roommate Eric “Nails” Nathan, who continues to keep Lipski up to date with news about the Badger football team.

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  One Puck Hollow

  Integrated into the landscape adjacent to the entrance of Calgary’s Great Plains Hockey Facility, One Puck Hollow is the facility’s third arena. The micro-amphitheater provides a gathering space for spectators and players. It references key features of the hockey rink—the face-off circle (the red rail is the same 30-ft diameter as the face-off circle), the 2-ft diameter black face-off spot (black flat rock in the center), and the boards separating the rink from the spectator.

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  Open Room

  Open Room was conceived as a social sculpture by artist Rosario Marquardt for the Sand Beach Park in the downtown Seaholm District of Austin, Texas. It was designed as a place of encounters and a stage for everyday life and stories to unfold. This installation features a 24-foot-long table with a “delicate” lace tablecloth, benches and lighting structures, all made of powder-coated aluminum, inside an al fresco “room” surrounded by trees.

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  Passage

  The Passage is located at the National Center for Civil and Human Rights in Atlanta, Georgia. The two leaning glass and stainless steel structures create a gateway to the museum. The texts engraved into the glass by Nelson Mandela and Margaret Meade address the essence for the worldwide struggle of civil and human rights. The water flowing over the glass suggests a third quote by Dr. Martin Luther King: "Let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream." This work measures 36' x 24' x 24'.

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  Pensacola Pendants

  Larry Kirkland designed two sculptural pendants for the newly renovated Federal Courthouse in Pensacola, Florida. The 9’ - 6” x 4’ - 7” x 4’ - 7” Pensacola Pendants can be enjoyed from the exterior as seen through the front entryway and from the interior lobby space as visitors enter the building. When viewed from below the nestled star formation is revealed. The form implies the United States of America’s official flag as well as the armed forces that are such a historical and important presence in the Pensacola region. The eye-catching mirror polish stainless steel elements beautifully complement the custom glass panels that illuminate from within for a stunning evening experience. The art works were commissioned through the GSA Art in Architecture program.

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  Psyche

  For the new Science Building of Denver's Auraria Campus, which serves 3 colleges, including the Denver campus of the University of Colorado, artist Donald Lipski has created a butterfly of steel and 10,000 resin filled glass test tubes. Hung by a glass curtain wall, the piece catches the light like a stained glass window, as it slowly rotates with breezes from the HVAC.

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  Question Mark

  In 2013 the Madison Public Library in Madison, WI added a new third floor and 25,000 square feet of space to the existing 95,000 square-foot building, originally constructed in 1965. The Central Library showcases art created by local, national and international artists including this commissioned work by R&R Studios, Question Mark. The two-story tall aluminum light sculpture contains 372 LED lights.

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  Rebilace

  For the Maynard Jackson International Terminal at the Atlanta Hartsfield International Airport artist Donald Lipski has created a suspended work that pays homage to the past while introducing a bit of glamour back into modern day travel. The simple net structure is hung with ten thousand hand cut and polished Swarovski crystals. Responding to the tapered shape of the stainless steel mesh net, the crystals are installed in such a way that they get smaller and more condensed as you reach the bottom of the work. The title Rebilace alludes to the works location in the capital of the south as well as its lacy appearance, and is also an anagram of Liberace. The work measures 36’ x 20’ x 20’.

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  Ship of Pearl

  For the historic Cathedral Church of St Paul, a 200 year old church on the Boston Common, America’s oldest public park, artist Donald Lipski created an iconic work to fill the building's pediment. The pediment of this building had remained blank and unfinished since its construction over 200 years ago. For this unique location Lipski designed a slice through the shell of the chambered nautilus as a metaphor for spiritual growth. The piece is lit at night by thousands of embedded l.e.d. lights, measures 18' x 75' x 1.5', and is comprised of aluminum and faux stone surface texture.

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  SPOT

  For NYU Langone's new Hassenfeld Children's Hospital in New York, artist Donald Lipski has designed a sculpture sure to capture the hearts and imaginations of the patients and families who enter this new state of the art facility. SPOT is a 2 1/2 story tall Dalmatian balancing a real Prius taxi cab on it's nose. The Prius, which Toyota gave Donald Lipski for the piece, has no engine, tranny, seats, etc. but the lights work and when it rains the wipers work as well. There is a galvanized and stainless steel frame inside the fiberglass dog body, as well as a stainless steel structure inside the Prius, various electrical and lighting equipment. Lipski developed this idea of a brave, young dog doing the impossible to inspire. In April of 2020 Lipski created a digital mock up of SPOT adorned with a face mask, reminding everyone that SPOT wears her mask to protect you. In June of 2020 it became a reality and SPOT was fitted with a custom mask thanks to Katherine Meehan, Chris Collins, Chris Powers and Henry from KCFabrications, and MacGraphic Services, who made the mask.

  2020 CODAawards Top 100 2020-project

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  That Child of Fleeting Time

  For the Netflix headquarter building on Sunset Blvd in Los Angeles artist Kyungmi Shin created "That Child of Fleeting Time", a video based sculpture that commemorates the site’s historic landmark location as Warner Brothers’ original LA Location. The stainless steel sculpture gives the appearance of four curved film strips with media screens on the front skin that play thousands of clips lasting 6 seconds in duration each, shuffled randomly, resulting in a work of art that is always in motion and is never the same. These clips were created from early technology test films including animation of the sound technology used for the Jazz Singer, the first talkie created at the site, color tests done by Thomas Edison and Kodak, and movement studies by Muybridge, among others. Analog noises were added by distorting the original footages to create colorful abstract sequences that refer to the digital future while looking back at the history of the film industry's technological evolution. The video screen consists of 50,000 LED bulbs and the final work measures 30’ x 6’ x 15’.

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  The Aviators

  For the new John S. McCain III Terminal 3 at the Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, artist Donald Lipski created a giant pair of aviator sunglasses, aptly named The Aviators that celebrate Arizona’s rich history of civil and military aviation. The Aviators, consists of three parts: an enormous pair of mirrored aviator sunglasses measuring 25’ x 9’ and weighing in at 2,000 lbs, which hover in front of a 90’ wide oil-on-canvas painting of a sky with clouds, which is framed in a traditional wooden frame, which houses lighting. The massive mirrored lenses reflect the arrivals atrium creating a unique meeting place for travelers.

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  The Birth of the NFL

  Artist Michael Clapper created the Birth of the NFL to commemorate the founding of the National Football League. In 1920 the League was formed inside a Hupmobile dealership in Canton, Ohio that was owned by Canton Bulldogs owner Ralph Hayes. This project represents that event by using a spheroid form as a metaphor for a seed pod, and the NFL letter composition as the nucleus within. The stainless steel spheroid and glass letter composition are perched atop an 11’ tall pedestal of pre-rusted steel I-beams. Located outside the Bow Building in Canton, Ohio, this work measures 23’ x 11’ x 8’.

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  The Canoes

  The Canoes is located at the pedestrian overlook on the new Lesner Bridge in Virginia Beach. This 36’ tall freestanding sculpture designed by artist Donald Lipski consists of a stainless steel catenary arch supporting 10 canoes arranged in a star pattern, with a delicate filigree of cut out patterns. The work welcomes visitors to the Chesapeake Bay Area and features a seating area overlooking the Bayfront. In the evening the work is illuminated by interior LED lighting further emphasizing the detailed negative space created by the cut out patterns.

  2021 CODAawards Entry

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  The Cloud

  Inspired by the Bhutanese architecture found on the University of Texas, El Paso campus, artist Donald Lipski designed a three sided cloud that arises from a sunken roundabout that also functions as a pedestrian underpass. Bhutan is known as "the kingdom in the clouds.” The Cloud is constructed from thousands of hinged, enameled, stainless steel flaps that gently, move in the breeze. The work is at the edge of the University of Texas, El Paso campus and can be seen by passing traffic as well as pedestrian traffic from the underpass below.

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  The Doors

  The Doors is a three story tall structure that acts as a giant walk-in kaleidoscope in Scottsdale, AZ. Due to the tilt of the planes, a miraculous virtual sphere of sky hovers at the apex simulating the experience of being inside a kaleidoscope. Artist Donald Lipski partnered with Denver-based sound artist Jim Green who created a sound element entitled Sound Passage that visitors experience once inside the kaleidoscopic structure. Visitors can listen to found sounds such as the Soleri bells at Cosanti, and a variety of mysterious aural selections including watery swishes, melodious vocals, and cadenced percussion. Green’s selections also include recordings from a flute performance of Sedona recording artist Jesse Kalu. These enigmatic audio elements mitigate the noise of passing traffic, creating a truly contemplative experience that Green calls a “sound massage”. This work is comprised of Ipe (Brazilian Hardwood), structural steel, thousands of hand-forged stainless steel rivets and strapping, mirror polished stainless steel, and l.e.d. lights. The Doors was commissioned by Starwood Capital Group, LLD, Golub & Company, and IDM Properties in cooperation with the Scottsdale Public Art Program, and gifted to the City of Scottsdale upon its dedication.

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  The Goldfinch

  For the South Loop District in Bloomington, MN artist Donald Lipski created a larger than life songbird, the American Goldfinch, that can be found perched atop a new sign welcoming all to the South Loop District. The songbird is a nod to the neighboring Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge, home to many migrating birds as well as birdwatchers who travel to see a variety of species, including the American Goldfinch represented in Lipski’s final sculpture. The songbird also represents other forms of migration and travel via the nearby MSP International Airport as well as immigration which helps to increase and to diversify Bloomington’s population.

  2022 CODAawards Entry

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  The Mischief Makers

  In 2018 Public Art Services began working with Continuum Partners to develop a vision for the art programming for their redevelopment project at 9th Ave & Colorado Blvd in Denver, CO. This redevelopment project reintegrates the former 26-acre University of Colorado School of Medicine campus into the surrounding neighborhood fabric by blending apartments and townhomes with retail, offices and new public green spaces. For Block 7 Denver based painter Kevin Sloan was commissioned to create an original composition for the facade of the parking structure adjacent to the Theo Apartments on an exterior wall that angles towards north bound traffic on Colorado Blvd. The mural entitled 'The Mischief Makers' was completed in February of 2019 by father and son muralist team Chris and Will Krieg who enlarged Kevin Sloan’s original painting to a massive 65’ x 65’ mural. Sloan’s work explores the relationship between the natural and human-made world. His paintings, often symbolic, deal with recurring paired themes such as fragility and strength, wonder and sorrow, and loss and resiliency.

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  The Nest

  For Calgary’s spectacular new 330,000 sq. ft. Seton Recreational Facility, artist Donald Lipski designed a site specific installation comprised of a nine foot diameter acrylic “nest” with three flocks of life-sized hawks, owls and herons flying to it, each bringing a new branch for the nest. 30 fiberglass birds in total are suspended along the three main hallways that meet at the central hub where the nest is located. The birds represent 3 species that are familiar to the Seton community: Swainson’s Hawk, Great Blue Heron, and the Great Horned Owl. The hawk’s wingspan is about 4.5'; the heron’s is about 6'; and the owl is about 5'.​

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  The PhD Molecule

  Artist Larry Kirkland designed the PhD Molecule for the front courtyard of the Wright-Rieman Chemistry Building at the Rutgers University Busch campus in Piscataway, NJ. This 27’ tall stainless steel and black granite sculpture includes key elements that relate to the students who walk through the doors everyday. The stainless steel molecule that sits atop the black granite base represents the caffeine molecule.

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  The Tent

  In 2008 artist Donald Lipski’s design for The Tent was completed and installed in a plaza space in White River State Park that connects to the Indianapolis Cultural Trail. This wind activated tower is comprised of two torqued panels covered in nearly 500 hinged “flags” that come together to create a tower of painted color on the exterior and mirror polished stainless steel on the interior. The movement of the wind becomes visible as the panels move and the 23 bright colors scattered throughout the work flicker in the sunlight. In the evening interior lights cause pixilation as the panels alternately are lit and then go dark, as the interior mirror polished panels cast reflections of light across the plaza. The work measures 43’ x 16’ x 10’ and is constructed of stainless steel.

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  The Three Clans

  For the Columbia Avenue entrance to Penn Treaty Park in Philadelphia Donald Lipski designed a work of public art that pays homage to the three clans of the Lenni Lenape Tribe and Chief Tamanend, with whom William Penn signed the landmark treaty of friendship. The animals featured in this installation (wolf, turkey and turtles) are the animal symbols of the three Lenni Lenape clans. The series of five bronze turtles with light posts on their backs lead the way to the park’s entrance paying tribute to the Turtle Clan who lived in the area and Chief Tamanend who himself was a member. The fiberglass wolf and turkey are seen perched atop light posts installed on the west side of the underpass, one on the north side and one on the south. The light posts light up at night, serving as a gateway to the park. Lipski’s design to him suggests the meeting of the Old World and the New World, but his hope is that those who interact with the work will find their own meaning as well.

  2021 CODAawards Entry

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  The Ziz

  In 2009 artist Donald Lipski recreated 20th century artist Constantin Brancusi's Bird in Space for the new Goodyear Ball Park in Arizona where the Cleveland Indians hold their spring training. The Ziz stands as tall as the distance from the pitcher's mound to home plate (60' 6"), and has stitches on it, like a baseball. Constructed out of fiberglass, concrete and steel, it resides in a pool near the ballpark's entrance, anchoring an extensive mixed-use development.

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  Time Piece

  For the Metro Terminal in El Monte, CA., the busiest bus terminal west of Chicago, artist Donald Lipski created an update on the tradition of a civic clock. The work entitled Time Piece is comprised of three double faced clocks, made for town squares by The Verdin Clock Company of Cincinnati, that are suspended in a web of stainless steel cables. The faces of the synchronized, computer controlled clocks glow at night greeting passengers as they arrive at the station, and the other side features the El Monte City seal, which passengers see as they leave the station. Time Piece measures 30’ x 20’ x 1’ and is constructed of stainless steel catenary arch supporting mixed media civic clocks, each 11’ tall.

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  Tools

  For the Wellington Webb Municipal Building in Denver, Colorado artist Donald Lipski created a suite of sculptures that float in front of a 60' tall limestone wall. This is the building where all the city workers of Denver work, and where the public come to interact with the city, getting permits, attending council meetings, etc. Lipski has used the tools that build and maintain the city in the creation of these sculptures including: fire axes, desk chairs, dust pans, computer screens, and many other tools.

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  University of Iowa Children's Hospital

  The 30,000 square foot 22' tall lobby for the University of Iowa Stead Family Children's Hospital has 14,000 square feet of open space that is open day and night for the patients, families and staff of the facility. The building was the design of Foster+Partners and the interiors by Zimmer Gunsal Frasca Partnership. Artist Larry Kirkland was brought into the project by ZGF to focus on the lobby. The collaboration touched every surface and resulted in a bright joyful adventuresome space. The DISCOVERY FLOOR of terrazzo uses a twisting ribbon motif filled with a variety of patterns, images of toys, tools, animals and birds intertwined like puzzle pieces. In addition, Spirograph patterns mark the larger gathering spaces within the lobby. Six MY TOWN wind vanes rotate overhead. Stacks of inlaid Corian alphabet blocks spell out the names of geographically dispersed Iowa towns. Images associated with these places enliven the blocks. The wind vanes suggest a visual narrative and recall the rural roots of the state. The six LET'S SEE vitrines link two sides of the lobby with small scale three dimensional cases. Using alphabet blocks, toy animals and other found objects, the art pieces are perfect for exploring hidden words and math challenges as a place to distract and discover.

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  Untitled (Picnic with Flowers)

  In 2018 Public Art Services began working with Continuum Partners to develop a vision for the art programming for their redevelopment project at 9th Ave & Colorado Blvd in Denver, CO. This redevelopment project reintegrates the former 26-acre University of Colorado School of Medicine campus into the surrounding neighborhood fabric by blending apartments and townhomes with retail, offices and new public green spaces. For Block 7 artist Daisy Patton, who at the time of this project was a Denver based artist (she has since relocated to western Massachusetts), was commissioned to create an original composition to span the south facade of the parking structure adjacent to the Theo Apartments. Patton’s painting, 'Untitled (Picnic with Flowers)' was translated into two mediums, a hand painted mural, and printed Structurflex panels, that come together to create the massive 70’ - 3” x 94’ - 4” composition.

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  Upper Blush

  Located in the NEON District in Norfolk, VA, Upper Blush is comprised of a canopy that teeters like a seesaw as people sway on the benches. When it rains, water is funneled from the roof through drainpipes to troughs on the ground and then to the adjacent rain garden. By teetering the canopy, those on the benches can determine from which pipe the water drains. The muse for Upper Blush is an issue critical to Norfolk’s future—rising tides. The circles of light on the ground created by the skylights reference the moon and the teetering and swaying mimic the ebb and flow of the water.

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  Woven Light

  Woven Light is a shady refuge from the intensity of the prairie light in Northfield's Uplands Park in Denver, CO. This work of public art designed as a gathering space is an outdoor room; you are inside and outside at the same time and the shadows, light and projected color make you more conscious of the sun and the breeze than if you were standing in the open. When seen from the outside, the dichroic glass between the wood slats reflects the sky and surrounding trees. Inside is like being in a kaleidoscope of moving colored lights on the darkened interior as the sun shifts angle. We can look through the openings or through the glass that changes the color of the landscape like a lens. Endlessly changing patterns of crisscrossing shadows and reflected light within and on the ground dematerialize the structure and make a rich shadow on the surrounding surfaces extending the impact of the art beyond its physical boundaries.