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This second exhibition has 12 sculptures that were selected from museums in
the Southeast and focus on American
sculpture from 1965 to the present. All the artists, save one, are alive
and working today, and all have learned from and been inspired by the
artists who have preceded them in this century. Their work is like
America itself--full of consistency and change and fresh expression
grounded in the rich soil of tradition.
The sculptors whose work is now in the Jacqueline Kennedy Garden bring fresh
ideas and insights to the world of which they are a part. They are
seeking both personal and universal realities as they explore solutions
to contemporary problems in new and innovative ways. As they work with
new materials, new hues, and unusual forms, they cause us to question our
own sensibilities and to contemplate things we have never seen or felt or
thought about before.
Metal and paint have replaced stone and clay as primary working
materials. For the most part, construction is the method used to realize
an idea rather than modeling or carving. Good figures, familiar
portraits, and heroic events as subject matter have given way to new,
compelling and powerful forms which energize our imaginations and renew
our souls.
What we discover in this exhibition is that this historic and beautiful
garden is alive with the spirit of America. The works of art
reflect the diversity, vitality and energy of our past, present and
future. The exhibition includes work by a self-taught artist who uses
discarded and found materials in the creation of his art; a MacArthur
Fellow; one of this century's most famous sculptors; and other Americans
both well known and yet-to-be-known. Each work is the individual artist's
contribution to the American vision of human life and human
understanding. Each work invites and encourages us to be affected by that
vision. As we accept the invitation to look at the art and respond to it,
we see as many different things as we are different people; but one thing
we will see the same: art in America is alive and well, rejoicing in
today, and eager for the future.
Townsend Wolfe, Director and Chief Curator
Arkansas Arts Center
Little Rock, Arkansas
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