''Space Game'' is a public artwork by American artist
Joseph Mendla. The piece is located at 1515 West Canal Street, in
Milwaukee
Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee ...
,
Wisconsin
Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...
,
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
. This piece was made originally for an indoor setting to be placed as three pieces and no base. Mendlay ended up giving this piece to Peck Meat Packing Corporation. The concrete base and lights were added. Even after the Peck family sold their slaughterhouse business in the late 1980s the sculpture still remains.
"Space Game, (sculpture)"
''Save Outdoor Sculpture survey, Wisconsin, Milwaukee survey'', 1993
Description
Space Game was constructed during the years of 1972-1982 and was installed on May 20, 1982. The materials are welded steel with a concrete base and recessed lights. There are three large abstract parts to this sculpture. The farthest back and largest piece when looking from front is painted black. The middle piece is painted red and the last is painted white.
Historical information
Space Game was made originally for an indoor three piece set. Later on Mendla ended up giving it to the Peck family. The Peck family owned a Slaughterhouse business called Peck Meat Packing Corporation. When the sculpture was received they added recessed lights and a concrete base. The pieces were then put all together to form one big abstract piece. The Peck family ended up selling their business in the late 1980s but the sculpture is still located on site.
Artist
Artist Joseph Mendla has a B.F.A. at the Philadelphia College of Art, also from University of Pennsylvania he received a M.F.A. in sculpture. Mendla also was the founder of the sculpture department at the Louisville School of Art. He also completed the foundry at Layton School of Art
The Layton School of Art was a post-secondary school located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Originally affiliated with the Layton Art Gallery, it was established by Charlotte Partridge and Miriam Frink in September 1920 in the basement of the buildi ...
shortly after his arrival in there in 1971 . Most of Mendla's own original design was brought into the equipment at Hartbronze. Hartbronze Inc was founded by Joseph Mendla and Hilary Goldblatt. Heartbronze was at the time the only commercial foundry dedicated to solely cast-metal sculptures. The foundry was located in the Peck Meat Packing building where Space game is located.
Condition
The condition of the sculpture itself is at a state of treatment urgent, last surveyed in November 1993.
References
External links
Full description of Space Game
Milwaukee Journal Sep 20, 1981 with a description of Joseph Mendla
{{MilwaukeePublicArt
Outdoor sculptures in Milwaukee
Public art in the United States
1982 sculptures
Steel sculptures in Wisconsin