''Zephyr'' is a

public sculpture Public art is art in any media whose form, function and meaning are created for the general public through a public process. It is a specific art genre with its own professional and critical discourse. Public art is visually and physically access ...

created by artist Steve Wooldridge in 1998. It is located southeast of the

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th st ...

(IUPUI) University Library and north of New York Street on IUPUI's campus. The overall dimensions of this

stainless steel Stainless steel is an alloy of iron that is resistant to rusting and corrosion. It contains at least 11% chromium and may contain elements such as carbon, other nonmetals and metals to obtain other desired properties. Stainless steel's corros ...

sculpture are tall, long, and wide.

Description

''Zephyr'' is composed of several different three-dimensional geometric shapes, all made of

. Its base is a rectangle that measures tall and wide. Next are two cylinders lying on their sides with a north–south orientation. They each have a diameter of and a length of . On top of the cylinders is a right triangle that measures tall and on the shortest side. It lies at an angle so that the right angle rests between the two cylinders. A third cylinder rests on top of the triangle and it measures in diameter and long. On top of this cylinder and the triangle is a large hoop with a diameter of approximately . There is a pole going through the hoop from the proper bottom right to the proper top left. It passes behind the hoop on the proper left and in front of the hoop on the proper right, where a semi-hollow cylinder with a diameter of and a length of rests. "Steve E. Wooldridge", "1998", and "Zephyr" are visible on the metal next to the proper right side of the base.

Information

Zephyr In European tradition, a zephyr is a light wind or a west wind, named after Zephyrus, the Greek god or personification of the west wind. Zephyr may also refer to: Arts and media Fiction Fiction media * ''Zephyr'' (film), a 2010 Turkish ...

" means "west wind" and is also the name of a pioneer streamlined

locomotive A locomotive or engine is a rail transport vehicle that provides the Power (physics), motive power for a train. If a locomotive is capable of carrying a payload, it is usually rather referred to as a multiple unit, Motor coach (rail), motor ...

, dating to the 1930s. Each of the eight geometric shapes has a meaning. The rectangular base represents the core of education. The two side-by-side cylinders represent the wheels of progress while the triangle represents a mode of transportation designed for speed. The small cylinder that supports the hoop signifies fortitude and determination and the hoop itself stands for the circle of life. The long pole represents ambition and the hollow scroll stands for the scroll of knowledge. The artist dedicated the sculpture to today's youth.

Acquisition

The

Indiana University Indiana University (IU) is a system of public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana. Campuses Indiana University has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration of IUPUI. *Indiana Universit ...

Board of Trustees approved the decision to keep the ''Zephyr'' sculpture on the IUPUI campus permanently at their January 28, 2005 meeting. Prior to this it had been on loan to the university for two years.

Artist

Steve Wooldridge was born in Sheridan, Indiana. He attended the

Dayton Art Institute The Dayton Art Institute (DAI) is a museum of fine arts in Dayton, Ohio, United States. The Dayton Art Institute has been rated one of the top 10 best art museums in the United States for children. The museum also ranks in the top 3% of all art mus ...

where he studied three-dimensional design and sculpture. He graduated from the

Herron School of Art Herron School of Art and Design, officially IU Herron School of Art and Design, is a public art school at Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) in Indianapolis, Indiana. It is a professional art school and has been accredite ...

in 1963 with a degree in Sculpture. His preferred styles are abstract, assemblage, and

minimalism In visual arts, music and other media, minimalism is an art movement that began in post–World War II in Western art, most strongly with American visual arts in the 1960s and early 1970s. Prominent artists associated with minimalism include Don ...

. Wooldridge is known for his site specific sculpture for indoors and outdoors, and he is a member of the Artist Blacksmith's Association of North America. Fifty-two of his massive

blacksmith A blacksmith is a metalsmith who creates objects primarily from wrought iron or steel, but sometimes from #Other metals, other metals, by forging the metal, using tools to hammer, bend, and cut (cf. tinsmith). Blacksmiths produce objects such ...

ing pieces were featured in the exhibit "Forged Art! The Art of Blacksmithing" at the Wells County Creative Art Center in

Bluffton, Indiana Bluffton is a city in Harrison and Lancaster townships, Wells County, in the U.S. state of Indiana. The population was 10,308 at the 2020 census and the estimated population is 10,390. The city is the county seat of Wells County. History Blufft ...

in late 2007. Another of Wooldridge's sculptures, Spirit Keeper, is also located on the IUPUI campus.

Documentation

A Museum Studies course at IUPUI recently undertook the project of researching and reporting on the condition of 40 outdoor sculptures on the university campus. ''Zephyr'' was included in this movement. This documentation was influenced by the successful Save Outdoor Sculpture! 1989 campaign organized by Heritage Preservation: The National Institute of Conservation partnered with the

Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums and education and research centers, the largest such complex in the world, created by the U.S. government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge". Founded ...

, specifically the

Smithsonian American Art Museum The Smithsonian American Art Museum (commonly known as SAAM, and formerly the National Museum of American Art) is a museum in Washington, D.C., part of the Smithsonian Institution. Together with its branch museum, the Renwick Gallery, SAAM holds o ...

. Throughout the 1990s, over 7,000 volunteers nationwide have cataloged and assessed the condition of over 30,000 publicly accessible statues, monuments, and sculptures installed as outdoor public art across the United States.

References

External links

The Artist Blacksmith’s Association of North America, Inc.
{{IUPUIPublicArt Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis Public Art Collection Outdoor sculptures in Indianapolis Steel sculptures in Indiana 1998 sculptures Stainless steel sculptures in the United States 1998 establishments in Indiana