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In a departure from typical representations of the Crucifixion, the Tree of Life incorporates a heavy emphasis on natural elements. Flora swirls around Christ and the nails that hold him to the cross resemble branches more than metal nails. Christ himself is resolute and stoic, his gaze lingering on an undefined point above the viewer's head. A fig tree grows at the figure's feet. Though the work is first and foremost a Crucifixion, it incorporates parallels to other biblical stories. In the book of Genesis, Adam stands under the Tree of Life, while Eve stands under the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. The former tree offers eternal life, while the latter is the root of sin. As Christ is often understood as the second Adam, he symbolically represents eternal salvation through his crucifixion on the Tree of Life. The fig tree is a symbol of the Virgin Mary, the second Eve. Through the fig's position at Christ's feet, it represents the absolution of sin and forgiveness that can be found in accepting Christ's sacrifice. The artist, John Collier, is renowned for his religious works. He has received extensive awards for his religious sculptures, including a Bene Award from the Ministry &amp; Liturgy Magazine for Tree of Life.

Website for the Basilica of the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart

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Created by John Collier in 2008, the Tree of Life is a 100 inch-tall bronze sculpture. It was commissioned by the Basilica of the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart for their new gardens, which were completed concurrently with the sculpture. The basilica paid a total of $400,000 for this work and for companion works depicting the Annunciation. The Tree of Life depicts a life-size Christ nailed to the cross, known as a Crucifixion scene. 

Tree of Life

This tour takes users to thirty-three public artworks in the Downtown Charleston area. Works included range from Albert Paley's sixty-eight-foot-tall Hallelujah to P. Joseph Mullins' two-inch Mortar Man. The entry order is optimized to minimize steps by making a circuitous route that returns near its starting place. This tour was made in coordination with Charleston's Office of Public Art.

This undated work was created by Larry Cannon and Mike Elliot. Set directly into the wall of 426 Leon Sullivan Way, the work is fiercely patriotic in its depiction of the American flag and a bald eagle.

America

This large work spans almost two stories and depicts stylized mountains painted directly on brick. Unfortunately, little is known about the piece, as the artist, title, and date are all lost to history. Property records and natural wear on the work suggest that it was created prior to 2002.

Untitled Mural

Wind Torn was created in 1994 by West Virginia native Joe Moss. The painted steel work was donated to the Clay Center for the Performing Arts by former governor Gaston Caperton in 2013. Wind Torn is a simple abstract composition mirrored down the center. The deceptively organic nature of the work is marred by the perfectly flipped symmetry which transforms as a viewer circles the work. Moss taught at West Virginia University for many years before moving to Delaware and establishing himself as an eminent educator and sculptor.

Wind Torn

Hallelujah dominates the front plaza of the Clay Center for the Performing Arts. The sculpture was commissioned and donated by the McGee Foundation. The work cost $900,000 with an additional $40,000 paid to landscape the Clay Center's courtyard. Hallelujah has been compared to a rocket ship, or the wreck of a great machine. Artist Albert Paley's use of multiple types of metal in the sculpture was a conscious decision. While the weathering and stainless steel are made to withstand the elements, the bronze was left untreated and quickly rusted. This was done intentionally to cause Hallelujah to age over time, much like leaves on a tree changing color. The work was constructed in New York, assembled there, then dismantled and re-assembled in Charleston. Considering that the sculpture weighs 198,000 pounds (99 tons), this was no small feat. Erection of the piece was completed in October of 2009. A retrospective exhibit titled, "Geometric, Staccato and Lyrical: The Sculpture of Albert Paley," documented Hallelujah's process of creation and was hosted at the Clay Center from 2010-2011.Hallelujah has been the subject of mixed reactions from the community. Some laud the monumental work; it is quite rare for a city of only 50,000 to boast a public artwork of this scale. Additionally, Paley is an internationally renowned artist. Paley was the first sculptor to receive the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Institute of Architects, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art owns numerous works by the artist. Despite this, detractors of Hallelujah feel that the work is waste of money and resources, does not complement the Clay Center's architecture, or is an eyesore. The Clay Center welcomes the divisive opinions. Art curator Barbara Racker said of Hallelujah, "It's doing what art does best: creating a dialogue, getting a reaction. It would be disconcerting if no one said anything about it."1

Hallelujah was constructed in 2009 by Albert Paley for the Clay Center for the Performing Arts. A variety of materials were used in the sculpture including weathering steel, stainless steel, and bronze. At sixty-eight feet tall and roughly forty feet in diameter, Hallelujah is Charleston's largest public sculpture.

Hallelujah

Festival delle Arti (Festival of the Performing Arts) is a bronze sculpture by Harry Marinsky. Retired attorney Angus E. Peyton donated the sculpture to the city of Charleston in 2005 in honor of Ruth and Briscoe Peyton. The work celebrates the arts with six performers — each representing a different aspect of the arts. The figures dance around a vibrant tree, allowing a viewer to experience a different scene from any angle. Intended to appeal to adults and engage the imagination and wonderment of children, the sculpture is appropriately located near the front of the Clay Center for the Performing Arts. Harry Marinsky was a London born Russian who grew up in the United States. He later moved to Italy where he spent the last several decades of his life. Marinsky's works can be found all over the world and in prestigious galleries and museums, though Festival delle Arti is the only large-scale work in West Virginia. 

Festival delle Arti

Mountain Scape Fence Weave was created in 2017 by artist Jack O'Hearn. O'Hearn was approached by the Charleston Area Alliance who asked him to propose a placemaking project that would enhance Leon Sullivan Way. Charleston Area Alliance focuses on building local community and economy. O'Hearn was a natural choice to execute a placemaking project thanks to his years of experience focusing on public art and community-based work. The project was funded by John and Fonda Elliot as well as a West Virginia Community Participation Grant. O'Hearn used colored fence tape to turn an entire block of chain-link fence with a stylized mountain landscape. The fence is part of a U.S. Post Office facility and faces a busy entry to downtown Charleston from Interstate 64. The tape, which is composed of low-density polyethylene, color pigments, and ultraviolet inhibitors, requires little maintenance and offers semi-permanent beautification. Mountain Scape Fence Weave is not intended to remain installed forever, though there is no planned removal date. 

Mountain Scape Fence Weave

In the biblical story of the Annunciation, the angel Gabriel comes to the Virgin Mary and informs her that she is pregnant with Christ. Collier's take on the Annunciation parallels his treatment of the Crucifixion in Tree of Life. Nature plays a major role in the work, both visually and iconographically. Gabriel stands on a rotting tree stump, though a branch sprouts from it nonetheless. The branch — which represents new hope and prosperity — is a sugar maple, West Virginia's state tree. A youthful Mary is shown separately gathering figs. This references Mary's role as the second Eve, as Eve covered herself with fig leaves upon realizing her nakedness in Genesis. It also ties to Tree of Life, where Mary's presence is symbolized with a fig tree. Finally, it also parallels another Christian myth, where Christ came upon a barren fig tree and cursed it. In this way, Mary's fruiting tree can be seen as an absence of sin. The Annunciation invites contextual viewing when seen with Tree of Life, while also provoking the viewer to reflect on deeper underlying themes and messages.

John Collier's The Annunciation was made in tandem with the nearby Tree of Life sculpture. These works were commissioned for the garden of the Basilica of the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in 2008. The organization paid $400,000 for the works. The Annunciation consists of two bronze statues measuring one hundred inches tall and is named after the scene it depicts. 

The Annunciation

From the Fullness of the Earth sculptor Robert Erle Martens was born in 1919 in Illinois, though his family soon moved to Charleston. The young man attended Cranbrook Academy of Art, where he studied architectural design, before continuing his education with the Department of Agriculture at Yale University. Martens then served in World War II. During the war, the budding artist was encouraged to create sculpture by Lieutenant J.F. Saarade of the Free French Forces. Upon returning to Charleston, Martens commenced work with his father's architectural firm, Martens and Son, Architects. The younger Martens led the design of the United Carbon Building — built for Oscar Nelson's carbon Black production company — and created the sculpture that sits at its base.From the Fullness of the Earth depicts an emblematic and idealized worker. The male figure stands resolutely and gazes straight ahead, reminiscent of works from Antiquity. The man wears simple shoes and trousers, with no shirt. Martens said that the figure, "represents a workman, not definitely a laborer, nor a chemist, nor an office man."1 The figure is a paragon, referring not to any particular person or group of people, but to all humanity. It represents the way we take resources from the earth and refine them into industrial products. The name From the Fullness of the Earth is possibly a reference to the biblical passage Psalm 24:1, which reads "The earth is the Lord's, and the fullness thereof." This echoes the sculpture's themes of creation, while carrying a moralizing message that humanity ultimately belongs to God.

From the Fullness of the Earth is a sculpture by Robert Erle Martens. Created in 1941, the work is bronze with a marble base. It graces the entrance to the United Carbon Building.

From the Fullness of the Earth (United Carbon Man)

This untitled work — affectionately referred to as the San Francisco Mural by locals — is one of Charleston's oldest murals. Spanning several stories and a large potion of a block, it is no wonder it took artist Bart Davies two years to complete the paint on brick piece, which was finished in 1985. It graces the southern façade of One Bridge Place. This building was constructed in 1890 as a wholesale grocery company. The mural is painted using trompe l'oeil technique — French for "trick of the eye." It is designed to look as if the plain rear face of the structure is actually a row of Victorian townhomes. The building's real windows are incorporated seamlessly into the mural. Barely visible in one of the fake windows is a chilling image: a hanged man. There is no clear evidence as to why Davies included this morbid element in an otherwise banal mural, though urban legends and conspiracy theories abound. Despite the mural's age, it remains in excellent condition.

Untitled Mural (San Francisco Mural)

Don't Tell Me This Town Ain't Go No Heart was a collaboration between Ian Bode and Brian Pickens. The fifty-five by twenty-five foot paint on brick mural celebrates Charleston's vibrant music and nightlife scene. It was created in conjunction with the fourteenth annual FestivALL event in 2018. The mural was painted on the back of Sam's Uptown Café and commissioned by establishment owners Paul and Julie Greco. Bode and Pickens exchanged preparatory sketches for several months before pulling all the disparate elements together and finalizing a design. The final version was projected onto the wall from fifty feet away and traced with markers. Over the course of a week, Bode and Pickens painted the mural while passerby and festival goers were encouraged to stop and chat, or just watch for a bit. The completed piece includes pop imagery and iconography commonly found in street art, but rendered in a bold and decisive manner. Themes of food and music dominate the work, though a purple unicorn requested by the Greco's daughter also peeks out at the viewer. 

Don't Tell Me This Town Ain't Got No Heart

Unity was a collaboration between Dr. Cubert Smith and Vladimir Smirnov. Dr. Smith was born in Saint Albans, WV and and received several degrees in fine arts. He spent most of his life in Charleston, teaching art at West Virginia State University and Kanawha County schools. Dr. Smith also served as director of Charleston's Sister City Program with Korolev, Russia. As part of the program, Dr. Smith and Russian artist Smirnov created Unity as a symbol of the camaraderie between Charleston and Korolev. The stainless steel abstract sculpture was installed in 1998. A plaque at the base of the work features the name of the work in both Russian and English, with the sculptors credited in their respective native tongues.

Unity

Aspirations is an abstract sculpture and fountain designed by Alfred Kloke. The thirty foot stainless steel piece was installed in 1984, when the nearby United Center was completed. The plaza that houses the sculpture was designed by Paul Friedberg and William Whyte. Kloke was a German born artist of many pursuits including architecture, graphic design, painting, photography, and sculpture. He said of Aspirations, "this thing will mean different things to different people."1 The fountain and sculpture were cleaned and refurbished in 2015.

Aspirations

Located at a busy intersection where Quarrier and Summers Street meet, Horizons provides a strong splash of color to the urban area. The work is paint on stucco and was created in 2017 by Jeff Pierson. Dynamic visible brushwork and an almost fauvist color palette define the flow of the piece. The irregular shape of the painted architectural feature provides a unique two-story canvas for the image, which depicts rolling mountains lit by either a sunrise or sunset. Vibrant colors are carefully modulated, with strong cooler colors anchoring the tapered base while bright warm colors jut above the cornice of the building. 

Horizons

This untitled fountain in the courtyard of the Kanawha County Public Library was erected concurrently with the library in 1967. A $40,000 gift from the Joe Lowenstein Memorial Foundation funded landscaping and the fountain. Robert Cronbach designed and installed the work, which is bronze. Cronbach — famous for his sculptures and fountains at the Fashion Institute of Technology and the United Nations — designed this work to look like water flowing over rocks and mountains. The piece remained in operation as a fountain until July 2020. The piece has since been removed due to library renovations. It is being temporarily stored and will eventually be permanently installed at an undecided location.

Untitled Fountain (1967 - 2020)

Mortar Man is one of Charleston's most beloved works of public art — and it's also the city's smallest! At only four inches by two inches, Mortar Man is tucked between two buildings. The artist is P. Joseph Mullins, a Charleston native most famous for his design of the West Virginia Veterans' Memorial. Mullins was completing some renovation work on a building in 1994, when he took a break to eat lunch. While on his break, he used some excess concrete to sculpt Mortar Man. The tiny figure's head and upper torso emerge from the wall, making it appear as if the little man is climbing out of the building. It took three years for a policeman to notice Mortar Man, but once they had, Mortar Man became a celebrity. Mullins has embraced the public attention the sculpture attracts. Speaking of the work in 2016, Mullins said, "anytime you make a piece of art, you have to have some mystery and some unanswered questions, so that the audience… the viewer can bring their own experiences to that piece."1



Mortar Man

Creative Placemaking is a paint on brick mural created 2017-2018. The mural was designed by Dan Fenelon, member of the organization also named Creative Placemaking. Creative Placemaking focuses on revitalizing and improving communities through public art and other beautification projects. Fenelon was inspired to sketch the design after a brainstorming session with the group. The work attempts to capture the multifaceted identity of Charleston through words and images. In this way, it serves as not only a representation of what Charleston is, but also what Fenelon hopes it might become. The mural was commissioned by Creative Placemaking to enhance a nondescript wall that, at the time, bordered Collage, a vintage shop. Jamie Miller, an artist and owner of Collage, executed a personal version of Fenelon's design. The finished mural measures twelve feet by fifteen feet. 

Creative Placemaking

Jesse Corlis created his Streetcar Mural in 2017. The work is paint on brick and took over one hundred hours to complete. It depicts a streetcar stopping to pick up passengers. Two men lean on a wall watching the scene, while a gentleman helps a women onto the car at the front of a queue of several others. The work is not an exact replica of any particular moment, but an imaginary conglomeration of several scenes that would have been common near the turn of the twentieth century. Corlis used several antique reference photos, but the composition is ultimately original. Reflecting the idea that the scene captures a time period rather than a specific event, the mural fades into the wall at the top, and the figures possess indistinct facial features. Tom Flaherty, owner of the building, commissioned Corlis to create the mural. The brick canvas presented a challenge to the artist, as the nooks and crannies between bricks made maintaining perspective and detail difficult. In addition to mural work, Corlis also works as an illustrator and graphic designer.

Streetcar Mural

Man Wrest from the Earth Its Natural Resources to Build Pathways to the Stars is a bronze work by Milton Horn. Horn was commissioned to create the piece for the National Bank of Commerce. The work was created concurrently with the construction of the bank's new building in 1968. The large-scale sculptural piece depicts a nude classically styled figure standing in what appears to be the mouth of a cave. The title suggests this image is a glorification of industry and development. Stylistic and thematic parallels exist between this work and Robert Erle Marten's nearby From the Fullness of the Earth, suggesting that Horn was familiar with Marten's statue. Horn was known as a sculptor of public works, another example in West Virginia being the History of Medicine Marbles at West Virginia University. 

Man Wrest from the Earth Its Natural Resources to Build Pathways to the Stars

Charleston Arch was the result of a $27,500 grant the city of Charleston received in 1980. The Kanawha Arts Alliance, Charleston's City Beautification Commission, and the West Virginia Arts and Humanities Commission were all involved in the project. Three artists were invited to Charleston to compete to have their work commissioned. The artists were shown the site and paid an honorarium and expenses to create scale models of the work they would erect there. The models were then displayed in prominent public places next to ballot boxes, so that Charleston residents could evaluate the works and vote on their favorite design. Accompanying the competition, prominent art historians hosted television programs discussing the artist's proposed works in the context of developments in contemporary art. Charles Ginnever's Charleston Arch received a lion's share of the votes, and was installed in October of 1980. An anecdotal story states that the arch initially had no concrete bases, and instead rested directly on the ground. The story contends that this changed after a city employee bumped their head on the arch while walking through it, so the work was raised. It is unclear if this is a factual retelling, an embellished story designed to explain why the work was raised, or if the piece was always intended to rest on bases.The sculptor of Charleston Arch, Charles Ginnever, was an American artist who helped push the boundaries of public abstract art. He believed in the power of public art to enhance and enliven communities. His large-scale steel sculptures can be found throughout the United States and in collections all over the world. However, Charleston Arch is the only public Ginnever work in West Virginia. Ginnever passed away in 2019.

Charleston Arch was created in 1980 by Charles Ginnever. The work is composed of five steel hexagons which twist and turn as they form an arch. The hexagons were initially painted with a deep green matte finish, though this has faded over the years. The sculpture rests on two small concrete bases. 

Charleston Arch

Quiet Elements is a functional steel bike rack painted red. The work was created in 2011 by Jeff Fetty, one of West Virginia's most internationally renowned artists. Fetty's Blacksmithing skills earned him induction in the 2012 International Metal Design Annual in Germany. Fetty is only the sixth American to receive this honor. The artist has designed for clients such as former president Bill Clinton, the Elizabethan Globe Theatre, designer Yves Saint-Laurent, and musician Jon Bon Jovi. Despite his illustrious connections, Quiet Elements demonstrates Fetty's commitment to local communities. Furthermore, one of Fetty's sons is a professional biker, perhaps implicating a personal tie to this work. Quiet Elements is an apropos name for Fetty's piece, which eschews neither functionality, nor aesthetics.

Quiet Elements

Garden Box was created by Blake Wheeler in 2019. The work consists of a painted electric box in Davis Park. The Kanawha Garden Club commissioned the project to enhance the natural beauty of the space. The work features sensitively rendered plants and foliage, blending the technological necessity with its verdant surroundings. 

Garden Box

Bike Man is a 2011 work of steel by Chris Dutch. The piece depicts a stylized cartoonish figure waving their arms exuberantly. Though the work was created in 2011, it was not moved to the Lee Street Triangle until 2018. Bike Man was also repainted blue as part of this move. The piece is a functional artwork, as it serves as a bike rack in addition to being a public visual installation. Dutch, who typically focuses on stained glass art, has worked as an artist in the Charleston area for almost forty years. However, Dutch has also collaborated on sculptures and installations with Robin Hammer since 1991. 

Bike Man

In 2011, Ian Bode created The Passenger from steel. Bode uses this figure of the passenger extensively in his art and it has become a quintessential component of his work. "The keyhole-shaped figure you see in almost all of my work is called the Passenger. The faceless cartoon is a vacuum into which our identity and awareness can be filled in. They are very much a part of their world, but with the viewer in the emotive driver’s seat, much like a passenger."1 Bode often tends towards chaotic and vibrant mural scenes filled with small details, so this single three-dimensional sculpture is a rare isolation of the passenger emblem. Bode's attempts to establish a cohesive visual language have clearly been successful: he was named WV Artist of the Year by West Virginia Living Magazine. 


The Passenger

Cabriole was brought to Charleston in 1981 as part of an initiative to expand the city's public sculpture. Kanawha Valley Bank donated the bronze work, which was created by Jimilu Mason. Mason was an American sculptor most famous for her busts of notable political figures. She was a favorite artist of Lyndon B. Johnson, who commissioned Mason to create several portraits of himself. Though Mason often worked in marble, she frequently completed bronze casts as well. This process involved sculpting a model from clay, creating a mold from the model, and then using the mold to cast the completed bronze. Cabriole is a remarkable technical achievement using this process. The sculpture meets its polished granite base at only a single point, despite there being three figures. Though a common misconception about the work is that the figures are divers, they are actually ballet dancers. Cabriole is a ballet move where a foot is lifted into the air, the other foot meets it, and then the second foot is used to land. Due to its almost forty year exposure to the elements, Cabriole was restored in 2018. Conservators from McKay Lodge Laboratory completed the conservation work and applied a layer of wax to help prevent further damage to the sculpture.

Cabriole

Created by Mark Blumenstein in 1992, The Trombonist is a whimsical work of found metal. The sculpture features a vaguely humanoid figure exuberantly playing a trombone. The energy of the piece is amplified by its kinetic nature: the sculpture is designed to rotate freely as the wind changes. After moving to rural West Virginia in the 1970s, Blumenstein was captivated by discarded farm machinery, appliances, and bicycles. He began making art from these metal scraps. The kinetic nature of his works recaptures some of the mechanical life the original metal once possessed. The Trombonist can be found atop the pavilion in Davis Park.

The Trombonist

This statue of Henry Gassaway Davis was created in 1926 by Louis Saint-Lanne. The bronze work depicts Davis Park's namesake astride a horse. After almost a century of residence in Davis Park, the piece had heavily succumbed to the perils of time and vandalism. The Kanawha Garden Club and the Greater Kanawha Valley Foundation donated $39,437 to have the work restored. McKay Lodge Laboratory completed conservation work on the base and statue itself in 2018. This project involved washing dirt and staining from the base, reversing corrosion on the statue, and repatinating the bronze to protect from future damage. An identical statue of Davis can be found in Elkins, WV.

Henry Gassaway Davis Statue (Charleston)

Homeless Jesus depicts a life-size Christ sleeping on a bench. The figure clings to a blanket and its facial features are obscured. The only indicators that the figure in the work is Christ are the stigmata on his feet, left there by the Crucifixion. The figure's ostensible anonymity is an important aspect of the piece. It is designed to encourage the viewer to see themselves in the figure's place and reflect on the belief that Christ is everyone. The work is also a visual translation of Matthew 25:40 when Christ tells his followers "Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me."1Timothy Schmalz created the work by first sculpting a clay model. A mold was then made from the model, and used to cast bronze copies of the work. Following the installation of the first Homeless Jesus at Regis College, University of Toronto, international attention surrounded the work. As statues began to spread globally, coverage was amplified by a number of news stories where concerned residents called emergency services upon witnessing the works. Additionally, reactions to the sculptures were mixed. Some felt that the works are a poignant reminder of Christian values, while others felt that they were off-putting or distasteful. Pope Francis fell into the former category of people, and had a copy of Homeless Jesus installed at the Vatican in Rome. Charleston's Homeless Jesus was the eighth statue to be cast and installed, which positioned the city on the frontline of a burgeoning movement.

Homeless Jesus (also known as Jesus the Homeless) is a bronze sculpture created by Canadian artist Timothy Schmalz. The work depicts Christ as a homeless person sleeping on a bench. Schmalz, a devout Catholic, installed his first Homeless Jesus at Regis College University of Toronto in 2013. Since then, hundreds of copies of the work have been installed worldwide, including one at the Vatican in Rome. Charleston's Homeless Jesus was sponsored by St. Marks United Methodist Church in 2014. It was the eighth copy of the statue to be created and installed.

Heart of Downtown Charleston WV Public Art Tour

Tree of Life

Introduction

Images

Backstory and Context

Sources

Additional Information