The Clayton Public Art Advisory Board has continued its tradition and has picked some wonderful art for our Town to enjoy! Our popular Downtown Clayton Sculpture Trail is in its second season!
Town leaders, along with Clayton's Public Art Advisory Board, couldn't be prouder of the eight creative and visually enhancing pieces that will grace our parks, open spaces and town buildings into 2015. From the depiction of a Mayan God ascending as the sun, to a love poem sculpted out of steel, this year's pieces will surprise and delight our visitors and residents alike.
Windchimes is a sculpture created by Adam Walls of Hope Mills, NC. This wonderful piece of art will be in Horne Square on the corner of O'Neil and Main Streets. It is conveniently located where the Town of Clayton hosts the sounds of the free Town Square Concert Series! Walls wanted to build a monumental-sized wind chime that would be not only aesthetically pleasing but acoustically enjoyable. Listen to Walls talk more about his art here!
Vortex is a work created by Nelson Smith of Rocky Mount, NC. Smith is no stranger to our Trail, as this is the second year he has had a sculpture on display. Last year he won the coveted "People's Choice Award" for his piece called "Balancing Spheres". This piece is made of scrap metal from a manufacturing facility. This piece was built from the bottom up, with the base hemisphere being filled with concrete. Listen to our interview with Smith!
Silent Sounds of Service is a piece by Gary Gresko of Oriental, NC. Gresko is another repeat artist on our Trail this year. This 10-foot-tall, 80-pound aluminum sculpture moving with the wind can be found in Horne Square at the corner of Main and Lombard Square. This is Gresko's tribute to the military services, as this sculpture was made out of recycled artifacts. Each tube has a slot revealing a red interior, signifying the passion and dedication of our military personnel. Listen to Gresko talk about his piece!
Semi-Circle Balance Study Number 14 is a piece by Matt Amante of Winterville, NC. Amante loves to work in contrasting materials, as seen in this piece adorning Horne Square. He has a semi-circle of stainless steel contrasting against the natural material of the river rock. This piece is part of a series that Amante has been working on for the past 7 years. Watch this video with Amante explaining more about his work!
Quetzalcoatl's Declination is a work by Robert Coon of Vero Beach, FL. This piece tells the story of Quetzalcoatl, a Mesoamerican God. In this tale, he descends to the underworld to do battle with the sun. Once he defeats the sun, it is Quetzalcoatl's return from the underworld that allows him to become the new sun. This is what Coon is depicting in his artwork that is beautifying our Town Square. Watch our video with Coon speaking more about this piece!
Lovearch was created by Andrew Denton of Greenville, NC. This was our love poem for this Trail. Standing at 8 feet tall and weighing 500 pounds, these two figures are each other's grounding in life. They are turned upside-down by the world, but they stand together. Come on by Town Hall and see this wonderful exhibit! Listen to Denton talk more about his art!
Life Cycle is a piece by Hanna Jubran from Grimesland, NC. We are excited to announce that this is the third sculpture from this talented artist to grace our wonderful Town spaces! This piece expresses the cycle of life, growth and continuum with the interplay of shape, form, space, and colors. This is sculpted from stainless steel and stands 10 feet tall. Listen to Jubran talk about this piece!
He Stopped and Turned to See and Listen is a work created by Charlie Brouwer from Willis, VA. This life-size figure of a man stands tall on the lawn of the Hocutt-Ellington Memorial Library. He is made of Locust wood. Brouwer created this piece to remind us that we need to make sure we are not too busy to stop and listen when something is trying to get our attention. Brouwer speaks more about his piece here!