Nicholas Legeros
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Nicholas Legeros (born February 27, 1955, in
Edina, Minnesota Edina ( , ) is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States and a first-ring suburb of Minneapolis. The population was 53,494 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the 18th most populous ci ...
) is an American (Minnesotan) bronze sculptor. Working from his studio building Blue Ribbon Bronze in Northeast Minneapolis, Nick has created over 500 sculptures in his career. His most prominent works can be found in the
Twin Cities Twin cities are a special case of two neighboring cities or urban centres that grow into a single conurbation – or narrowly separated urban areas – over time. There are no formal criteria, but twin cities are generally comparable in stat ...
and
Hudson, Wisconsin Hudson is a city in and the county seat of St. Croix County, Wisconsin, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, its population was 14,755. It is part of the Minneapolis–St. Paul metropolitan area. History Several Li ...
. In addition to his work as a sculptor, Nick is an active artist advocate and has been president of the Society of Minnesota Sculptors (1988-1995), president of the Northeast Minneapolis Artists Association (2007-2009), and served on many boards including the Northeast Community Development Corporation.


Education and background

Legeros grew up in
Edina, Minnesota Edina ( , ) is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States and a first-ring suburb of Minneapolis. The population was 53,494 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the 18th most populous ci ...
, and first encountered an artistic dilemma in the 4th grade. His class was asked to create small sculptures, and Nick spent much time crafting a small head, which won the admiration of much of his classmates. Legeros, in what little time remained, fashioned an elephant which he turned in for extra credit. The teacher gave his head a "C," while the elephant was given an "A." Not satisfied by his teacher's justification, he developed a curiosity for art and the distinguishing constitutive elements of good art. Legeros received his B.A. in
Studio Art An art school is an educational institution with a primary focus on practice and related theory in the visual arts and design. This includes fine art – especially illustration, painting, contemporary art, sculpture, and graphic design. T ...
at
Gustavus Adolphus College Gustavus Adolphus College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in St. Peter, Minnesota, United States. It was founded in 1862 by Swedish Americans led by Eric Norelius and is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Gustavu ...
in 1977, where learned
bronze sculpture Bronze is the most popular metal for Casting (metalworking), cast metal sculptures; a cast bronze sculpture is often called simply "a bronze". It can be used for statues, singly or in groups, reliefs, and small statuettes and figurines, as w ...
from notable American Sculptor Paul Granlund (October 6, 1925 - September 15, 2003). He would continue to study and work with Granlund from 1978 to 1980, before pursuing his M.F.A., which he earned at the
University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota Twin Cities (historically known as University of Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint ...
in 1983. “The careful mentoring and encouragement I received from sculptor Paul Granlund made my career choice possible. Paul gave me the training, the knowledge and the benefit of his menutefs of experience. He showed me what the life of a sculptor was like.” His education and experiences stewarded an artistic style that is welcoming and personal, and integrates a sense of spirituality without reference to a particular religion.


Career

Working primarily on a
commission In-Commission or commissioning may refer to: Business and contracting * Commission (remuneration), a form of payment to an agent for services rendered ** Commission (art), the purchase or the creation of a piece of art most often on behalf of anot ...
basis, Legeros has worked with a variety of clients for over 30 years. His work can be found at hospitals (''Healing Waters'' (2001)
Hudson Hospital
in
Hudson, Wisconsin Hudson is a city in and the county seat of St. Croix County, Wisconsin, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, its population was 14,755. It is part of the Minneapolis–St. Paul metropolitan area. History Several Li ...
), churches (''We Dare Not Fence the Spirit'' (1993)
Unity Unitarian Church
in
St Paul, Minnesota Saint Paul (often abbreviated St. Paul) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County, Minnesota, Ramsey County. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, ...
), universities (''Father Terrance Murphy'' (2004), in conjunction with Paul Granlund, at University of St. Thomas in St Paul, Minnesota), city and local governments (''Dreams of our Children'' (1989), a
Lyton Park
in
St Paul, Minnesota Saint Paul (often abbreviated St. Paul) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County, Minnesota, Ramsey County. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, ...
), libraries (''Cosgrove Memorial'' (1996), Cosgrove Community Library in
Le Sueur, Minnesota Le Sueur ( ) is a city in Le Sueur County in the U.S. state of Minnesota, between Mankato and the Twin Cities. It lies along the Minnesota River and U.S. Highway 169. Le Sueur was named in honor of French explorer Pierre-Charles Le Sueur. ...
), cemeteries (''Ossuary at Roselawn'' (2007
Roselawn Cemetery
in
Roseville, Minnesota Roseville is a city in Ramsey County, Minnesota, Ramsey County, Minnesota, United States. It is one of two Minneapolis-Saint Paul, Twin Cities suburbs that are bordered directly by Saint Paul, Minnesota, Saint Paul and Minneapolis (Lauderdale, M ...
), corporate collections (''Generations'' (2003), Lifetouch Headquarters in
Eden Prairie, Minnesota Eden Prairie is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States. It had a population of 64,198 at the 2020 census, making it the 16th-largest city in Minnesota. The city is adjacent to the north bank of the Minnesota River, upstream fro ...
), and a number of private individuals. Commissioned pieces allow Nick to create a piece that fits the vision or wishes of particular clients. Since 1992 Nick has held the position of President and C.E.O. of Nicholas Legeros Inc., his own business. For a map of public works in the Twin Cities, see below. Legeros taught throughout the Twin Cities prior to owning his own studio space. From 1981 to 2002 he was an
Artist-in-Residence Artist-in-residence (also Writer-in-residence), or artist residencies, encompass a wide spectrum of artistic programs that involve a collaboration between artists and hosting organisations, institutions, or communities. They are programs that pr ...
at th
Minnetonka Center for the Arts
in
Wayzata, Minnesota Wayzata ( ) is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 4,434 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. A suburb of the Twin Cities, Wayzata is located about west of Minneapolis al ...
. He has also been a faculty member of the art department at Breck School in
Golden Valley, Minnesota Golden Valley is a western and first-ring suburb of Minneapolis in Hennepin County, Minnesota, Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 22,552 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The city is mostly residential an ...
(1993-1994), Community Faculty at
Metropolitan State University Metropolitan State University (Metro State) is a public university in the Minneapolis–St. Paul, Minnesota metropolitan area. It is a member of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system.
in
Minneapolis, Minnesota Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...
(1988-1993), and an instructor at th
Edina Art Center
(1988-1993).


Blue Ribbon Bronze Studio/Gallery

Blue Ribbon Bronze is the name of his studio and gallery, a free standing building set next to the historic Grain Belt Brewery and Bottling House in
Northeast Minneapolis Northeast is a Neighborhoods of Minneapolis, defined community in the U.S. city of Minneapolis that is composed of 13 smaller neighborhoods whose street addresses end in "NE". Unofficially it also includes the neighborhoods of the University, ...
. Equipped with a foundry for bronze casting, Nick creates sculptures entirely on-site and frequently welcomes visitors for bronze pours. Blue Ribbon Bronze is a destination at Art-a-Whirl, the largest open studio tour in the U.S. He can cast pieces of any size, the largest of which to date ''Saint Joseph'' (2009) measured over 17 feet tall. Blue Ribbon Bronze is located a
84 14th Avenue NE, Minneapolis, MN 55413
and is open to the public daily.


Notable works

A number of his works have attracted attention because of their local and artistic significance. His portrait of Sid Hartman (2010), located outside the
Target Center Target Center is a multi-purpose arena located in Minneapolis that opened in 1990. It hosts major family shows, concerts, sporting events, graduations and private events. Target Corporation, founded and headquartered in Minneapolis since 1902, h ...
in
Downtown Minneapolis Central is a defined community in Minneapolis that consists of six smaller official neighborhoods around the downtown and central business core. It also includes the many old flour mills, the Mill District, and other historical and industri ...
, has become a cultural landmark of the much-traveled walkway to
Target Field Target Field is a baseball stadium in the North Loop, Minneapolis, historic warehouse district of downtown Minneapolis. Since its opening in 2010, the stadium has been the ballpark of Major League Baseball's Minnesota Twins. It is named for Tar ...
. His life-size Goldy Gopher for the
University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota Twin Cities (historically known as University of Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint ...
was created in 2013 and installed outside Coffman Union. The university in a published statement expects that: "A Goldy Gopher statue will impact school pride and spirit by allowing the campus community to interact with this iconic symbol on a daily basis, serve as a common area to gather outside, and create traditions that will have long-lasting impressions on today's student population, as well as future generations to come." The large size of the work is also described in the article: "The bronze Goldy statue will stand six feet three inches high on Coffman Memorial Union's front plaza. The granite block 'M' will span sixty-three inches in width, twenty-four inches in depth and forty-eight inches in height." A recent and ongoing artistic collaboration between Legeros and local glass artist Michael Boyd a
FOCI Minnesota Center for Glass Arts
has brought a different kind of attention to his work because of its combination of molten glass and molten bronze. In an interview with Nancy Sartor at
KFAI KFAI (90.3 FM) is a noncommercial community radio station located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, broadcasting to the Twin Cities of Minneapolis-St. Paul. The station broadcasts programming for many of the diverse ethnic groups of the region, inc ...
, Boyd describes the process as unique and significant in that he has never heard of the two media used together in ways Nick and he are exploring. Nick adds, "As far as we know, nobody has been doing this work at all." The interview concludes with his reflection that "We're throwing the traditions out the window and eeingwhat else we can do. What could be better?" In 2015, Legeros was commissioned by the women and men of
Northwest Airlines Northwest Airlines (often abbreviated as NWA) was a major airline in the United States that operated from 1926 until it Delta Air Lines–Northwest Airlines merger, merged with Delta Air Lines in 2010. The merger made Delta the largest airline ...
to commemorate the airline and the leadership of Past President and CEO Donald Nyrop. Two sculptures were created, "Dreams Take Flight" and "Glamorous Days of Flight," and are located at Centennial Lakes Park in
Edina, MN Edina ( , ) is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States and a first-ring suburb of Minneapolis. The population was 53,494 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the 18th most populous ci ...
. The sculpture was dedicated in May 2016, and was featured in Edina Magazine's March 2017 issue.


Map of public works

For a map of public works located in the Twin Cities
click here


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Legeros, Nicholas 1955 births Living people Gustavus Adolphus College alumni People from Edina, Minnesota Sculptors from Minnesota