Sculpture Garden
Betty Gold, American
Tiron VII
Painted steel
2003
Gift of Mr. & Mrs. David Chatkin
“My inspiration comes from many directions, experiences and channels, but my work
always begins with the simple act of folding paper. I create a flat, rectangular structure,
deconstruct the parts and reassemble them into the whole, then create a set of drawings
and geometric models based on the linear geometry of rotating movement.”
"From a basic set of shapes, I design several different models - or maquettes – then
build them in steel and choose which piece integrates best into the commissioned landscape.
The maquette also provides the visual and architectural reference needed to scale
the work to its monumental dimensions. I still continue to personally oversee construction
and site preparation for each of my installations to ensure the rigid-quality standards
I’ve upheld throughout my 45-year career as a professional artist.”
“My continuing goal is to create art that brings a sense of joy and imaginative flight
to those who engage with it, and that will endure long into the future. I also hope
to motivate, represent, and inspire more women sculptors to assert themselves into
the competitive art market, where they’ve yet to become dominant members.”
- Betty Gold
Peter Shire, American
Standing With Our Fathers...Past, Present and Future
Stainless Steel & Aluminum
1947-1983
Given by Henry & Barbara N. Shire, 2004
Peter Shire is an LA-based artist whose work eludes all attempts at categorization.
He has created ceramics, furniture, toys, interior designs, and public sculptures,
that seem to at once reference and parody influences such as Bauhaus, Futurism, Art
Nouveau and Art Deco. This subversive humor and playfulness extend throughout his
work and made him a natural fit for the controversial and iconic Milan-based Memphis
design group, of which he was a founding member.
A graduate of the famous Chouinard Art Institute in Los Angeles, Peter Shire has an
impressive exhibition record. In addition to many group shows, his works have been
exhibited in numerous solo shows, in his hometown, Los Angeles, nationally and internationally
in Milan, Paris, Tokyo and Sapporo. Shire’s works are in many public collections and
museums in the U.S. and abroad. Shire is represented by Kayne Griffin Corcoran.
(source http://petershirestudio.com/about/)
“The art world likes to categorize artists. When I think about my position in the
art world, I realize it is extremely mobile because I include and cross over so many
boundaries.” Peter Shire
Mixed Bag
Burlap & Resin
1993
Gift of Marlene M. Louchheim
"Throughout my life, I have been a keen observer of relationships and those observations have influenced my work. Using burlap, bronze, aluminum, copper, and now wood, I create an emotional stage for the natural twists and sensual curves in the material. Over my career, my works have ranged from small, intimate indoor pieces to giant aluminum and bronze installations, to water sculptures. When you look at my “bags,” you can see them talk to each other—about love, about distance, about fear and tenderness. Each has its own message and uniqueness, like the differences that exist in the humans who view them. Looking at my highly polished wall relief pieces, you can feel the sculptural movement—literally and figuratively." -Marlene Louchheim
Source: https://shop.skirball.org/products/003508
Peruko Copacatty,
Wild Stallions
Wrought iron gift of Gregg G. Juarez
Peruko Copacatty is an international artist known for dramatic and monumental works
in metal and the wall mural spanning four decades. Born on Lake Titicaca in the Andes
of Peru, Copacatty is an indigenous artist of Aymara heritage. He is a unique voice
for indigenous Andean peoples. His work expresses his personal identification to
his rich cultural history while focusing on the power of art to synthesize and express
a universal humanity.
Copacatty attended the National School of Fine Arts in Lima, graduating in 1976 with
the “Medalla de Oro”, the highest honor in sculpture. He continued his studies at
the National School of Fine Arts, on a post-graduate level. In 1981, Copacatty left
Peru for the United States, settling in Rhode Island.
Source : http://www.ccopacatty.com/about-the-artist/
William A. Kohl, American Professor Emeritus of Art at College of the Desert
Threshold
2004
Gift of Sebenia Milbacher
William A. Kohl was a full time professor of the College of the Desert Art Department
for over 30 years. He taught courses in Sculpture, Life drawing, Basic Design & Color,
Drawing & Composition, Paper making, Modern & Postmodern Art History and others. During
his career at the College of the Desert he was instrumental in the development and
founding director of the California Sculpture Center which eventually became the Walter
N. Marks Center for the Arts.
William was educated in the mid-west; he received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Illinois Wesleyan University; and his Masters of Art degree from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan. He taught at the University of Iowa & Kansas Art Institute, before becoming a professor at College of the Desert, Palm Desert, California.
William A. Kohl was a dedicated educator of the visual arts.
He believed in public, open accessible education for the community in which it serves. He worked very hard throughout his life to support the arts and to educate students in the art process of art making creativity.
William worked effortlessly in his support of the College of the Desert’s Art program. His efforts were always focused on the expansion of the Arts. His love and passion for creativity was his voice to the world...
Michael Todd, American
Storm Clouds
Painted Steel
1974-1983
Gifted by the Shire Family in memory of Babette & Mervyn Neugass
“In my work there is a strong Asian influence from Japanese Zen and Chinese calligraphy,
as well as a clear debt to Arshile Gorky and the abstract expressionists, Kline and
DeKooning. I try to humanize geometry and minimalism to give it emotional weight.
My circular pieces are like echoes of the cosmos. They represent the expanding universe
and chaos, the Ying and the Yang. Making circles in wood, metal, and now clay is a
continuing challenge.”
-Michael Todd
Michael Cullen Todd was born in Omaha, NE in 1935. Todd earned his B.F.A. at University
of Notre Dame, his M.A. at UCLA, and won a Fullbright fellowship in France in 1961.
By the 1960s he had settled in Encinitas, CA. He taught at Bennington College in
1966-68 and UC San Diego in 1968. His abstract sculptures are done mostly in steel
and aluminum.
