The Doll and Dare

Like sunspots etching meaning
To the weather of our days,
Or rays of sunlight falling
With a shimmer shadow
Through the leaves of meadow trees

Like early winter morning hoarfrost
Clinging to the highest twigs
And branches, melting with the sun.
But staying crisp and crystalized
With the memory and mind.

Like children playing on the bench
Of summer gestures frozen
As we see them with their skirts
And shirts still there suspended
As the wind had left them –

Still as real and still as time
Which passes and as long as time
Shall be – the doll and dare
of childhood dye
The fabric of all later life.

Dennis Smith

“Dennis Smith is as much a philosopher as he is an artist. His work is a window into who he is and his views on life. His impressionistic style captures his exuberance for life and embodies his passion for transcendence—expressed through the spontaneity of children, reflections of the past, and hopes for the future.

“At the core of Dennis’ work is the spirit of the human soul. We often see this represented through the innocence of childhood. To Dennis, the child is a metaphor for life. Children’s lives, as they explore the world around them, parallel our lives as adults as we discover our identity in this universe. Each piece by Dennis Smith captures this spirit, still vibrant and alive, frozen in the moment of discovery.”

Courtesy of artist’s website.

Presence is a profile of public service, forming a trust for the common good. Silhouette portraits of Public Safety Building practitioners were recorded, categorized and collated to create a transformative statuary bust of civic proportions. As the viewer moves around the sculpture, the assembly of many profiles morphs back into one. When viewing Presence, the multiple fins provide an opaque edge of profiles while the center reveals a view through and beyond, to what is present.

The sculpture is comprised of forty-eight faceted morphing profiles creating a 25-foot high lattice of stainless steel plates, resting on a 3-foot diameter, ten-foot high concrete column. The sculpture is illuminated from within and is responsive to sunlight and the incidence of reflective light. and the kinesthetic interaction with the viewer.

Presence is a sentinel, a silent companion watching over, transparent in its presence yet unencumbered in a collective effort toward Public Safety.

Clay Furches developed a series of patterns for casting manhole covers and tree grates, which mirror the street layouts of specific areas in Salt Lake City.  These cast metal units serve a functional purpose as well as provide visual interest for pedestrians on Main Street.

The sculptural subject of Gambel’s quail reflects the commitment of Ione McKean Davis to the preservation of open space in the urban environment. Coveys of wild Gambel’s quail can be seen throughout the neighborhoods of Salt Lake City. Recognizing the wild presence of quail in the urban landscape affirms an appreciation for our fragile local ecosystem and the importance of urban open space.

Gambel’s quail are identified by their tear-drop shaped topknot, the distinct black patch on the chest of the buck, and the scaly plumage on their undersides. As ground birds in an urban environment, Gambel’s quail primarily move about by walking and can move surprisingly fast through brush and undergrowth.

Dan Gerhart named this work – a series of interior wall pieces and an outdoor sculpture along the Jordan River Parkway – after the Greek philosopher, Pythagoras. With the design based on the mathematical laws inherent in the circle, square, and triangle, the artwork relates visually to the shield or badge that identifies police officers and philosophically to the Police Department’s work to maintain order in our community.

The mathematical theories of Pythagoras were one source of inspiration for Gerhart, as were a number of other systems of the natural order and its relationship to societal order. The Mayan calendar, based on the mathematical symmetries and the basic shapes of triangles, circles and squares, provided a foundation for the development of Gerhart’s work. Many cultures share a common language of these basic shapes, with the circle often the universal symbol for harmony and order.

The indoor works – “The Triangle,” “The Circle,” “The Square,” and “Theorem” – are fabricated of bronze cast by the artist in the lost-wax technique and a variety of wood veneers. The outdoor work, “The Sphere,” is fabricated of cast bronze and polished stainless steel. Shawn Porter assisted Dan Gerhart in the fabrication and installation of the work; Larry Wheeler fabricated the stainless steel elements of the outdoor work.