''Confluence'' is a

land art Land art, variously known as Earth art, environmental art, and Earthworks, is an art movement that emerged in the 1960s and 1970s, largely associated with Great Britain and the United StatesArt in the modern era: A guide to styles, schools, & mo ...

sculpture Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...

by artists

Robert Stackhouse Robert Stackhouse (born 1942) is an American artist and sculptor. Stackhouse graduated with a bachelor's degree from the University of South Florida in 1965. He later earned a master's degree at the University of Maryland, College Park in stud ...

and Carol Mickett. The work sits on the grounds of the

Indianapolis Art Center The Indianapolis Art Center is an art center located in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. The center, founded in 1934 by the Works Project Administration during the Great Depression as the Indianapolis Art League, is located along the Whit ...

located in

Indianapolis, Indiana Indianapolis ( ), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Indiana, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana, Marion ...

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. ''Confluence'' was installed as part of the Art Center's ARTSPARK initiative.

Description

''Confluence'' consists of 100 tons of Indiana limestone cascading in height in a 70-foot

boat A boat is a watercraft of a large range of types and sizes, but generally smaller than a ship, which is distinguished by its larger size or capacity, its shape, or its ability to carry boats. Small boats are typically used on inland waterways s ...

-like shape. The second part of the artwork lies along the White River, further into the ARTSPARK. Words are chiseled into the vertical stones with one statement reading "My soul has grown deep like the rivers."

Creation

Stackhouse and Mickett created the piece in residency at the Art Center during the summer of 2004. The installation utilized motorized

chisel A chisel is a hand tool with a characteristic Wedge, wedge-shaped cutting edge on the end of its blade. A chisel is useful for carving or cutting a hard material such as woodworking, wood, lapidary, stone, or metalworking, metal. Using a chi ...

s, gas-powered

saw A saw is a tool consisting of a tough blade, Wire saw, wire, or Chainsaw, chain with a hard toothed edge used to cut through material. Various terms are used to describe toothed and abrasive saws. Saws began as serrated materials, and when man ...

s and hammers to create the columns. Stackhouse oversaw the work on the vertical stones and Mickett handled the arranging of the bases. Visitors to the Art Center were encouraged to participate by being allowed to don goggles, dust masks and gloves to contribute to the creation process.

Acquisition

This piece was the first installation acquired for the Art Center's ARTSPARK which, designed by

Michael Graves Michael Graves (July 9, 1934 – March 12, 2015) was an American architect, designer, and educator, and principal of Michael Graves and Associates and Michael Graves Design Group. He was a member of The New York Five and the Memphis Group and ...

, brings together art and nature. The artwork was a gift from Michael and Mary Ann Browning.

References

{{IACartworks 2004 sculptures Contemporary works of art Indianapolis Art Center artworks Land art Limestone sculptures in Indiana Outdoor sculptures in Indianapolis