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A 10-foot Steel Pinecone
The 10-foot stainless steel sculpture of an open, seed-releasing pinecone sits in the middle of the labyrinth in the northeast part of Centennial Lakes Park, Edina, MN.
See
- Notice the large scale of this sculpture. How does size affect your experience of it?
- Why does the artist like using stainless steel? Watch the video here.
Say
What do you think of this artwork? Often artwork resonates with us for different reasons. It is in the eye of the beholder as they say. I was in college before I realized that it was okay to dislike certain artworks.
Framing your opinions around other contexts than 'do I like it or not?' allows the viewer to look closer at the characteristics, and not just dismiss it outright. Often after giving a piece more time or consideration, one can begin to value it for aspects other than the original perception, therefore creating an opportunity for the art to move you, benefit you in some way. Choose to consider the concepts below and discuss your opinions with a friend.
- Took a long time to make
- Worth a lot of money
- This was a great idea
- Skillful and well-executed
- I feel a connection to this piece
- I find it confusing
- This would be great to have
- My parent/friend/boss would like this
- This piece reminds me of...
Do
- Take a picture of a small-scale natural object. Use camera angle to change the perspective and alter the scale. Can you make it look as large as the pinecone?
- Find an object from nature and draw it altering its scale. (Make it much larger or smaller than life.) If it were a sculpture where would you install it/why?
- Think about the added meaning of the pinecone perched in the center of a labyrinth. Contemplate the potential connection of the open seed releasing pinecone and finding your way to the center of the labyrinth. Write about it in a journal entry.
About
Marcia McEachron
Growing up in Milwaukee as an only child to a single working mother, McEachron had to find ways to entertain herself. She filled her days with sketching--a passion that led her to the University of Wisconsin--Milwaukee, where she earned the school's first drawing and painting degree in 1970.
After graduating, she spent eight years working in arts administration at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts and the Minneapolis American Indian Center before stumbling upon what would become her life's work. "One day in 1978, I walked into a blacksmith shop in Uptown and there was this guy working the metal," says McEachron. "He was teaching classes, so I signed up."
Tool by tool, apprenticeship by apprenticeship, McEachron hammered away at the age-old craft, gradually gaining recognition in the public and private spheres for her contemporary spin on hand-forged steel furniture and art. See more of Marcia McEachron's work here.
