Lynn 
Aakash Nihalani's work is a great example here on The Rose Kennedy Greenway in Boston, MA. Aakash's studio practice is based on tape, paint and cardboard. In Winter 2017 we commissioned him to translate his more ephemeral works into 3D works. It was a real challenge for the artist to figure out how the works would function in a steel material but still have the feel and look of his studio based works. He considered himself more of a street artist. 

The biggest hurdle in this commission was to get the work as thin and tall as possible, while retaining structural stability. We ended up working to have the artwork fabricated and engineered through a sign company here outside of Boston, that also had offices near his studio in NY. 

Using a variety of mediums from masking tape to metal, Aakash Nihalani creates minimalist geometric forms on two-dimensional planes that simulate three-dimensional interactive experiences. Exploiting the malleability of human senses, Aakash’s site-specific artworks modulate our spatial perceptions to provoke surprising and often humorous moments that interrupt the routine of our everyday life.

Balancing Act I&II is comprised of two playful sculptures of tilting and toppling blocks caught in a state of suspended animation. In Balancing Act I, a tower of six cubes appears to fall over as the middle one is pulled out of alignment. This center block serves as an invitation to the viewer to become an active participant; by placing their hands on the sculpture, they become the catalyst for the impending narrative. Balancing Act II depicts haphazard blocks precariously piled up, seemingly just a nudge away from collapse. The sparring undercurrent of structure versus disorder in both works reflects the contrast of The Greenway against the surrounding urban landscape, as well as the delicate relationship between nature and industrialization in our world today.

Here is a link to his website and a link to the project we commissioned him for on The Greenway. 

Aakash Nihalani Website 
Aakash NIhalani Artwork on The Greenway 

On Mon, Sep 10, 2018 at 12:44 PM, Chris Guerra <Chris.Guerra@smgov.net> wrote:

Hi Lynn,


Steve Locke is an amazing artist that has recently taken his studio practice into the public realm. With his project "Three Deliberate Grays for Freddie" outside the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, 'Love Letters to a Library’ developed out of the Boston AIR program, and his proposal for an auction block memorial to enslaved Africans and African-Americans.


His practice is rooted in portraiture, language, and the discursive power of nature. Currently, a tenured professor at Massachusetts College of Art and Design, Locke has been included in group shows all over the world, and his work is in the collections of the Leslie-Lohman Museum of Gay and Lesbian Art and the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit.


Best,
Chris
 
Christian Guerra
Cultural Affairs Supervisor for Public Art  
Community & Cultural Services | City of Santa Monica
310.458.2220 ext. 5622



From: public_art_network@americansforthearts.simplelists.com <public_art_network@americansforthearts.simplelists.com> on behalf of Nan Masland <namasland@bernco.gov>
Sent: Monday, September 10, 2018 7:51:26 AM
To: public_art_network@americansforthearts.simplelists.com
Subject: RE: Examples needed of artists who made the leap from studio to first public art commission
 

Hello Lynn,

 

Artist Mark Horst comes to mind. He was a studio painter and is completing a powerful community based sculpture called “Vecinos”.   First he transitioned with murals and then moved on to sculpture. https://markhorststudio.com/

 

Best,

 

 

Nan Masland
Public Art Project Coordinator
Bernalillo County
(505) 314-0467

 

From: public_art_network@americansforthearts.simplelists.com <public_art_network@americansforthearts.simplelists.com> On Behalf Of Lynn Basa
Sent: Monday, September 10, 2018 8:37 AM
To: PAN listserv <public_art_network@americansforthearts.simplelists.com>
Subject: Examples needed of artists who made the leap from studio to first public art commission

 

I'm writing two new chapters for the second edition of The Artist's Guide to Public Art.  One is in response to the question I get asked most often by artists which is how they can make the leap from a studio practice to being qualified for public art commissions.

 

I know that many of you have made efforts to lower the threshold to entry by creating mentorships, opportunities for artists without commission experience, matching them with fabricators, and technical assistance for local artists.  I will certainly tell artists to look for these opportunities to help them get a leg up.  

 

I also want to include first-hand examples of artists who have gotten their first public art commission and how they did it.  Can any of you think of artists who stand out in your memory who made this leap?  If so, I will follow up with them and include their story in the book.

 

Thank you,

Lynn   

--

Lynn Basa

The Corner Project
(773) 289-3616

 

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--

Lucas Cowan
Public Art Curator 
Rose Kennedy Greenway Conservancy
185 Kneeland Street   
Boston, MA 02111
T: 617-603-7732

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