BLACKFOOT PATHWAYS: SCULPTURE IN THE WILD
Blackfoot Pathways: Sculpture in the Wild
Ranch + Landscape + Industrial
Montana Line Drawing (2014)
Kevin O'Dwyer (Ireland)
Sculptor/Artistic Director/Curator
Material: Mild steel
Height: 22 feet
The repetitive pattern of the Jackleg fencing on Baldy Mountain Ranch fascinated me since my first visit to Montana. The fencing inspired the creation of a series of sculptural line drawings that have been tipped vertically to create a tree like structure that is sited in the forest landscape. The sculpture with it's hollow branches will provide a nesting and resting area for the squirrels, chipmunks and birds.
The industrial aesthetic of the steel sculpture echo's the minning and logging tradition heritage in combination with the fence lines of the Blackfoot Valley. The sculpture is fabricated in mild steel and approximately 22 feet in height. the steel will naturally color to an orange/rust patina similiar to the Ponderosa pine bark.
Ranch + Landscape + Industrial
Kevin O'Dwyer's Montana Line Drawing made of industrial steel with its repeated shapes was inspired by the jackleg fences on Baldy Mountain Ranch that follow the contours of the Montana landscape with such elegiac beauty. These traces of the human presence amid soft and gracious hillsides, mountains and valleys become the source and structure for O'Dwyer's art. Designed with openings that can become potential nests for birds and squirrels in the future, Montana Line Drawing echoes the industrial past of America, and as the shadows of this sculpture fall on the land they carry the resonant echo of both fences and art. A continuity and connectedness, as well as a sense of the human component that is always in the Montana landscape, and the jackleg fence now becomes a symbol of the future reintegration with the land.
John Grande, International Sculpture Magazine
Kevin O'Dwyer
Sculpture in the Wild Co-founder/Artistic Director/ Curator 2014-2021
Curator 2022/2023
Kevin O’Dwyer has worked in contemporary art and the cultural heritage field for over 25 years. He holds an MA in Cultural Policy and Arts Management from University College Dublin. Kevin established and directed Ireland’s national sculpture park, Sculpture in the Parklands, from 2002 to 2011 ( Recipient of 4 National Awards). In 2013/2014 he co- initiated and directed the Sculpture in the Wild International Sculpture Symposium. Kevin has worked on curatorial and arts management projects for Brown University (USA), European Union Educational and Cultural Foundation (EU), University College Dublin (Ireland), National College of Art and Design (Ireland), The Heritage Council (Ireland), Cafe Music Nights (Ireland), World Academy of Irish Music and Dance - Limerick University (Ireland), Glenstal Abbey, Irish Crafts Council and Pernod Ricard (France). Kevin has sat on the Boards of the Cultural Relations Committee of Ireland, Visual Artists Ireland, Crafts Council of Ireland, Chicago Artist Coalition and The Sculptors Society of Ireland. Kevin was the recipient of the Lewis and Clark Historic Preservation Award 2019 and the Governor's Arts Award 2020. Sculpture in the Wild recieved the Montana Tourism Council Cultural Heritage Award in 2018 and the 2020 Governor's Arts Award.
O'Dwyer's artwork reflects his strong interest in ancient landscapes, industrial archaeology and architecture. His symposia installations respond to the industrial and environmental heritage of the landscape. Industrial artefacts, historical references, folklore and archival interviews are the building blocks in the development of his installations.
In 2002 O'Dwyer initiated and directed the Lough Boora International Sculpture Symposium in a disused peat harvesting site in Ireland. The sculpture symposium led to the development of Sculpture in the Parklands, a 50 acre sculpture park that has commissioned over 25 site-specific installations. O'Dwyer, as artistic director and curator from 2002 until 2011, directed the development of the arts and education programmes that won four national awards and received critical acclaim in Ireland, England, USA, China, Italy, Beliguim and the Netherlands.
O'Dwyer has had numerous solo exhibitions of his studio based work and has represented Ireland in over 40 international exhibitions. As artist-in-residence at the World Archaeology Conference (2010) he created a site-specific sculpture for University College Dublin. His work is in public and private collections including High Museum (USA), Victoria and Albert Museum (UK), National Museum of Ireland, Espace Paul Ricard (France) and Racine Museum of Art (USA).
website: Kevin O'Dwyer
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radio: Marilu Henner Show October 12, 2014
tv: KPAX October 2014
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youtube: University College Dublin
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